Calls relating to wildfires, field fires, and brush fires are down for the Dauphin Fire Department compared to previous years.
Dauphin Fire Chief Cam Abrey says this is a good thing because a lot of responsible RM of Dauphin residents are getting burn permits to deal with crop residue or to clean their yards.
“So if you see smoke, doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a fire out of control, so you don’t have to call 911 right away. If you do see fire, you do see the flames or the smoke, take a look around, make sure that there’s somebody present before you dial 911 immediately. The purpose of the burn permits is to reduce the amount of calls that we have from people driving down the highway and they see the flames or the smoke.”
Burn permits are available through the RM of Dauphin, call them at 204 638-4531 for more information.
Abrey says permits are available free of charge.
“It stipulates within the burn permit, that the fire must be kept under control at all times, that you as the property owner or resident are responsible for all property damage that may result, you are required to fireguard the area as per the provincial wildfires act, you can’t just set a fire and leave it unattended, and then you also have to be careful of the wind conditions and weather conditions and if they are extreme, then we discourage lighting those fires.”
Every time someone gets a permit, the DFD is notified and they mark it on their map. Since permits are good for one week, the fire department is constantly updating the map.
Penalties for breaking the RM of Dauphin’s burning by-law vary. If the person has a burn permit, has done their fireguard, and they’re present, but the fire gets out of control accidentally, there’s no penalty. Abrey says if there’s any kind of negligence involved, the RM will charge a fee.
“So, if you had a permit, you lit it, and you walked away, there’s a penalty involved with that. If it’s no permit issued and then the fire department has to respond, there’s a fee that’s charged for that. It’s basically dependant on the duration of the call because in addition to the fee or the violation that’s issued, then it’s also the cost of the fire that’s tacked onto it.”
The RM of Dauphin determines how much the fee is, there isn’t a set amount.
