COCHRANE— With grass fire season upon us, Cochrane Fire Services is offering tips to decrease, and help prevent grass fires this year.
Last year the Town saw 16 grass fires, said Cochrane Fire Services Inspector Jeff Avery
“Grass fires can be very small to very significant losses,” Avery said. “But a grass fire can get away in a hurry, and if it does hit a home, that could be half a million dollars in damages.”
The most common cause of grass fires is unattended and poorly extinguished fires, as well as cigarette butts being thrown outside.
“There's the odd case where children are being curious with matches, we try to nip that one in the bud quickly with education,” Avery said.
There are several common mistakes at home that can lead to grass fires starting, and burning improper material is one of the most prevalent accidents.
“This is a time of year when everybody's cleaning their yard up and raking up dead leaves and dead grass. So, a lot of people will try and burn that stuff and that really sends a lot of sparks in the air and a lot of unpleasant smoke and smell,” Avery said. “There's the odd time where we see that people are burning improper material, and that's a cause of it.”
He noted the Town of Cochrane has bylaws on what kind of fire pit you can have and what you can burn— Prohibited materials include dead grass, leaves or any construction material.
“It's just got to be good clean wood.”
If you have a fire in your backyard pit, Avery said, cleaning up your lawn a bit and getting some of the dead dry grass out of the way is a critical chore to complete that aids to prevent fires.
“Don't burn it, of course, but clean up around your fire pit area.”
An extra precaution that can be taken in preventing fires is wetting down the area near a fire pit, and having a garden hose ready in case a loose spark starts a dangerous flame.
“Never leave a fire unattended,” Avery said. “Same as in the forest, you would never go camping and leave a fire that's still burning. It's the same rule in your backyard. If you decide it's time to go to bed, you're not going to leave that fire burning.”
When you are done with your fire and are leaving the area, douse the blaze with water. Once the fire pit is cool to the touch, then you know it will not flare up and cause any damage.
The safety message Avery is spreading is part of the Fire Smart Program.
Fire Smart is a program designed to educate and help people be safe with fire. Avery noted additional information on Fire Smart is available on the Town website.
“The Fire Smart program goes above and beyond, it shows you what types of plants will burn faster than other plants, suggestions on firepit placement, and if you're by a really grassy area, to trim that grass down a little bit. Just different little ideas like that,” Avery said.
For anyone wishing to learn more about Fire Smart and Cochrane’s fire rules and regulations, they can reach Cochrane Fire Services Inspector Jeff Avery in his office at 403-851-4730. For more information and resources visit cochrane.ca/201/Public-Education.
