The Saanich Fire Department is not accepting excuses from anyone breaking the rules: If you light a beach fire, start a wood-burning pizza oven or decide to light a few sticks for a quiet backyard marshmallow roast, you’re going to get busted.
“The time for education has come and gone,” said Deputy Fire Chief Frank Macdonald. “We’re in a zero-tolerance situation considering the risks out there right now.”
There will be no more warnings, Macdonald said. It’s a $150 fine on the spot.
“I think the public expects that,” he said.
Smoking in all municipal and provincial parks is prohibited and the rules are being enforced.
And think twice about tossing that cigarette out your vehicle window — police are being extra vigilant on that front.
The maximum fine for throwing a lit cigarette from the window of a vehicle is $575, said Const. Stephen Pannekoek of VicPD’s Traffic Section. “It is extremely dry out there. Throwing a cigarette butt out of your window is extremely dangerous. Don’t do it.”
VicPD said its officers are very aware of the extreme fire risk and are paying close attention to help reduce the risks and respond quickly to assist the Victoria and Esquimalt fire departments when fires do start.
With the fire rating listed as extreme throughout the capital region and as another heat wave makes everything crisp, Macdonald said fire departments are on high alert. He said seven beach campfires were reported in the past several weeks. Those people were issued warnings, but others won’t be so lucky.
The risk of wildfires is extremely high in parks, Macdonald said, noting Mount Tolmie and Mount Douglas are “extremely dry.”
“The majority of Saanich’s parks are located in the urban area,” he said. “When the fire danger rating is extreme, it’s important to follow summer fire safety practices and be aware that there are enforcement options available to hold people accountable for open burning, which includes beach fires.”
Saanich has a firefighting crew of 18 on call around the clock, he said. The department is equipped with specialized equipment to tackle fires on the slopes of both mountain parks, including all-terrain vehicles. Mount Douglas and Mount Tolmie have reservoirs holding water connected to hydrant systems, he said.
“We’ve had quite a few small fires on Mount Tolmie over the decades and it continues to be a concern,” said Macdonald, noting the park has homes up to the summit and all around its fringes.
He said Mount Douglas is a much larger area with a complex system of trails. In 1995, an air tanker was called in to contain a stubborn blaze.
Like a lot of other local departments, Saanich is contributing personnel and resources to the wildfires in the Interior, with four crew members and a task force leader going to Vernon on Thursday. The contribution also includes volunteers, administration staff and vehicles, a trend started in the record fire season of 2017.
Macdonald said it’s important to note the strains firefighters are going through both in the city and the bush as they fight fires. The hot weather, coupled with fire clothing and heavy gear they carry, leads to quick exhaustion and fatigue. “We have to continually monitor their status,” he said.
