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Fire Department News

Open Fire Ban Lifted September 27 2023

September 26, 2023
by CIFFA
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Open fire prohibitions lifted in the Coastal Fire Centre

September 26, 2023

PARKSVILLE—The (Category 1) campfire prohibition and the Category 2 and Category 3 open fire prohibition will be lifted in the Coastal Fire Centre starting at 12 p.m., noon, Pacific Daylight Time, on Wednesday, September 27, 2022. This means that all open burning will once again be permitted within the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction.

Other activities which were previously banned, but will now be permitted include:

  • The use of tiki and similar kinds of torches
  • The use of chimineas
  • The use of outdoor stoves or other portable campfire apparatus without a Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or Underwriter Laboratories of Canada (ULC) rating
  • Fireworks, including firecrackers
  • Sky Lanterns
  • Binary Exploding Targets
  • Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description
  • Air Curtain Burners

Regarding Category 2 and Category 3 open fires, this change will allow the following activities:

“category 2 open fire” which means an open fire, other than a campfire, that

  1. burns material in one pile not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width
  2. burns material concurrently in 2 piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width
  3. burns stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 ha

“category 3 open fire” which means an open fire that burns

  1. material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width
  2. material in one or more piles each exceeding 2 m in height or 3 m in width
  3. one or more windrows
  4. stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 ha

For a map of Fire Centre boundaries, please visit: https://ow.ly/bIgt50PPMgF

A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: openburningregs_2022update.pdf

Although fire danger ratings have declined in the region due to recent rainfall and cooler temperatures, the public is strongly encouraged to continue exercising extreme caution with any campfire. It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure that burning is done in a safe and responsible manner and in accordance with regulations. Before lighting any fire, check with local government authorities to see if any local burning restrictions are in place.

Reminders about campfires:

  • A campfire is defined as any fire smallerthan 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide;
  • Never light a campfire or keep it burning in windy conditions. Weather can change quickly, and the wind may carry embers to other combustible material;
  • Maintain a fireguard around your campfire. This is a fuel-free area where all flammable materials (grass, leaves, kindling, etc.) have been removed right down to the soil;
  • Never leave a fire unattended;
  • Make sure that any fire is completely extinguished, and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the area for any length of time.

Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused fires. Always practice safe, responsible fire use where permitted.

  • To report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone.
  • Check with your local government or other jurisdictional authorities before lighting a fire of any size since they may have their own restrictions in place.

Learn More:

People can follow the latest wildfire news:

  • on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app
  • on Twitter: twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
  • on Facebook: facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Contact:

Fire Information Officer

BC Wildfire Service

Coastal Fire Centre 250-951-4209

Campfire ban in effect June 8, 2023

June 13, 2023
by CIFFA
fire ban
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Coastal Fire Centre enacts campfire prohibition

June 6, 2023

PARKSVILLE – Effective at noon Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, June 8, 2023, campfires will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre, except for the Haida Gwaii Forest District. This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdiction, unless specified otherwise in an enactment (e.g., in a local government bylaw). Always check with local government authorities to see if any other burning restrictions are in effect. All categories of Open Fire use are still permitted in Haida Gwaii Forest District.

This prohibition will be in place until Tuesday, October 31, 2023, or until the order is rescinded.

A map of the affected areas is available online: http://ow.ly/xuuw50OHiff

On June 8, 2023 the types of open fires listed below are prohibited in the Coastal Fire Centre, with the exception of the Haida Gwaii Forest District:

  • Category 1 campfires as defined in the Wildfire Regulation;
  • Category 2 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation; and,
  • Category 3 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation.

In addition to open fires being prohibited, the following activities and equipment are also restricted:

  • Fireworks;
  • Sky Lanterns;
  • Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description;
  • Binary Exploding Targets;
  • Air curtain burners;
  • Tiki and similar kind of torches; and,
  • Chimineas.

This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less than 15 cm tall.

To learn more about the different categories of open burning, visit the Open Burning webpage.

Anyone who lights, fuels or uses an open fire when a fire prohibition is in place or fails to comply with an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150 or, if convicted in court, be fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be subject to a penalty of up to $100,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.

To report a wildfire, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: http://www.bcwildfire.ca

Learn More:

Follow the latest wildfire news:

  • on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
  • on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
  • on Facebook: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Contact:

Fire Information Officer

BC Wildfire Service

Coastal Fire Centre 250-951-4209

New Interim Fire Chief – Eli McKenty

November 05, 2022
by CIFFA
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The Board of Directors for the Cortes Island Fire Fighting Association wishes to inform the community that effective November 2nd, 2022 David Ives will no longer be our Fire Chief.

This decision was not easily made and was only done with the greatest reluctance. We chose Mr. Ives to be our Chief because we saw that he is a highly skilled and a dedicated fire fighting professional. We also liked him and his partner Shari personally and wanted them in our community.

Unfortunately it became apparent that there were aspects of his leadership style that were at odds with the culture of our fire department and our efforts to help him adapt his style to our culture did not succeed. Matters deteriorated and we realized that we needed to be honest with him and ourselves that this was not going to work out.

On October 31st Mr. Ives stated verbally in a voice message to President Walker “I would like to discuss the means and terms of my separation from the island”. A similar message was left with Director Whelan. We understood this to mean that he was in concurrence with the board that the relationship was no longer tenable.

The third paragraph of the contract between Mr. Ives and the Cortes Island Fire Fighting Association had a six month probationary clause stating that “either party may cancel the contract for any reason and without cause and with no penalty”.
The board of directors voted to exercise this clause in a board motion the morning of November 2nd and Mr. Ives was informed of this decision a few hours later.

We sincerely hope that Dave and Shari remain in the community as they both have much to offer.

Presently we are focused on the difficult job of getting back into a steady routine of fire service delivery.
To that end the board has approved a six month contract with Deputy Chief Eli McKenty to be interim Fire Chief until we can find a suitable replacement. Former Chief Mac Diver has indicated that he is willing to assist Chief McKenty as required.
The search process has already begun and we will be using every available resource to find our new chief as efficiently as possible.
Regardless of any differences with our former Chief, David Ives, our number one focus is the safety and development of our volunteers so that they can fulfill their duties as an effective fire and emergency service for our community.

Yours truly,
The Cortes Island Fire Fighting Board of Directors.
Stephanie Asbeck – Secretary
Wesley Kirk – Director at large
Patrick Whelan – Director at large
David Robertson – Director at large
Chris Walker – President

Fire ban in effect July 15, 2022 – Category 2 & 3 open fire prohibition

July 17, 2022
by CIFFA
fire ban
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Current Coastal fire bans and restrictions

Category 2 and 3 open fires are prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre. This prohibition came into effect on July 15, 2022, to help prevent human caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Please find below an Information Bulletin from the Coastal Fire Centre regarding this open fire ban. The release provides details, along with a link to the map of the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdictional area.

Open fire prohibition scheduled for Coastal Fire Centre

7/13/2022 9:38 AM
PARKSVILLE — Effective at noon Pacific Daylight Time on Friday, July 15, 2022, most open burning activities will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction. This prohibition is being enacted to help reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety.

Category 2 and Category 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, including Haida Gwaii. This prohibition will be in place until October 28, 2022, or until the order is rescinded.

A map of the affected areas is available online: http://ow.ly/8ktb30snWOQ

This prohibition applies to all public and private land, unless specified otherwise (e.g., in a local
government bylaw). People are asked to check with local government authorities for any other
restrictions before lighting any fire.

Specifically, this prohibition refers to the following activities:

“category 2 open fire” which means an open fire, other than a campfire, that

a) burns material in one pile not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width,
b) burns material concurrently in 2 piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width, or
c) burns stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 ha.

“category 3 open fire” which means an open fire that burns

a) material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width,
b) material in one or more piles each exceeding 2 m in height or 3 m in width,
c) one or more windrows, or
d) stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 ha.

Also prohibited are the activities listed below (Wildfire Act, Section 12):
• Fireworks;
• Sky Lanterns;
• Binary Exploding Targets;
• Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description; and,
• Air Curtain Burners.

This prohibition does not apply to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. More information explaining the different categories of open burning is available online here.

Anyone lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire.

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

People can follow the latest wildfire news:
• on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
• on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
• on Facebook: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Contact:

Fire Information Officer
BC Wildfire Service
Coastal Fire Centre
250 951-4209

Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect.

CIFFA AGM June 30, 2022

June 17, 2022
by CIFFA
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Cortes Island Fire-Fighting Association is holding its AGM on June 30, 2022 at Fire Hall #1 in Manson’s Landing at 7:00 pm.  See you there!

 

New Tanker Truck in Service

June 17, 2022
by CIFFA
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The fire department is delighted to announce that our new (to us) tanker truck is now fully operational and a huge improvement over our vintage 1984 model.

Thanks to Island Sea Farms

June 17, 2022
by CIFFA
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The Cortes Island Fire Fighting Association would like to thank Island Sea Farms for their generous donation of a barge and two workers (thanks Ron and Terry!) for the conveyance of 3500 lbs of batteries from Surge Narrows to Fire Hall 1.
These batteries will be a key part of our battery/solar back up electricity system, greatly reducing our reliance on our diesel generator in the event of power outages.

OFA3/ First Responder Training!!

November 08, 2021
by CIFFA
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“Congratulations to the following firefighters for successfully completing their OFA3/ First Responder training;
-Deputy Chief Mckenty
-Captain Bernier
-Lieutenant Warkentin
-Firefighter Swainson
-Firefighter Wiersema
-Firefighter Lovell
-Firefighter Trebett
-Recruit Wes Kirk
It spanned a period of 11 days, but everyone stuck with it and excelled through the course. Our department and community will feel the benefit of their added skill.”

Fire Department New Recruits Welcome

November 01, 2021
by CIFFA
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Do you have what it takes to answer the call?
Would you like to learn new skills, help your community when needed most, and create life long bonds between first responders.
If so, the Cortes Island Fire Department will be recruiting next month and would welcome your attendance.
Come to the Mansons Landing Fire Station (Hall #1) on Wednesday November 3rd, at 7pm for a short orientation.

Due to COVID 19 protocols, we will be accepting a maximum of 10 people this year in order to maintain a safe working environment.
Feel free to contact Fire Chief Mac Diver at corteschief@gmail.com if you have any questions, or wish to confirm your attendance.

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News

  • Open Fire Ban Lifted September 27 2023 September 26, 2023
  • Campfire ban in effect June 8, 2023 June 13, 2023
  • New Interim Fire Chief – Eli McKenty November 5, 2022

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To preserve life, property and the environment through training, prevention, and emergency response.

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CIFFA

Cortes Island Fire Fighting Association
#2 - 959 Beasley Road
Manson's Landing, B.C.
V0P 1K0

Phone: 250 935-6779

Recent Posts

  • Open Fire Ban Lifted September 27 2023
  • Campfire ban in effect June 8, 2023
  • New Interim Fire Chief – Eli McKenty
  • Fire ban in effect July 15, 2022 – Category 2 & 3 open fire prohibition
  • CIFFA AGM June 30, 2022

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