Kamloops Fire Centre KAMLOOPS FIRE CENTRE BOUNDARIES

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1 Kamloops Fire Centre As of May 24, 2011, the Kamloops Fire Centre has responded to 40 wildfires consuming 202 hectares since April 1, This is well below the 10 year average of 67 wildfires burning a total 222 hectares. There were no new wildfires over the May long weekend. KAMLOOPS FIRE CENTRE BOUNDARIES It is still too early to predict what fire season may hold for the 2011 season. In 2003 for this time of year we had only responded to 32 wildfires burning 49 hectares and that turned into a devastating wildfire season. On the opposite side in 2009 KFC had responded to 97 wildfires burning a total of 820 hectares. Wildfire Management Staff are still monitoring the weather conditions closely and have resources available to respond to any incidents that may occur. Given the current fire conditions, we are fortunate to be able to offer assistance to the province of Alberta during their active spring wildfire season. Their province has supported us in periods of increased activities, so it is nice to be able to return the favour. A reminder that open burning is prohibited in the majority of the Kamloops Fire Centre, excluding the Clearwater and Salmon Arm Fire Zones. For the latest information on fire activity, bans and restrictions and current conditions, visit the Wildfire Management Branch website at For Facebook and Twitter updates, as well as details about evacuation orders and alerts, road conditions and air quality advisories, go to Fire Zone # of Fires # of Hectares Clearwater 0 0 Kamloops 11 7 Salmon Arm 2 8 Vernon 4 1 Penticton 7 11 Merritt Lillooet 5 8

2 Kamloops Fire Centre Restrictions P A G E 2 Prohibitions: Effective at noon May 15, 2011, open fires will be restricted within most of the Kamloops Fire Centre s jurisdiction to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public. The restriction will remain in effect until Oct. 15, 2011, or until further notice. Specifically this ban prohibits; burning any waste, slash or other material; burning stubble or grass; and the use of fireworks or burning barrels of any size or description. These open fires and burning activities are prohibited in the all areas of the Kamloops Fire Centre except the Clearwater and Salmon Arm fire zones. All open burning will be prohibited across the Kamloops Fire Centre effective June 15, The ban does not prohibit campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. People lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from the campfire area, and must have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water nearby to properly extinguish a fire escape. This ban covers all BC Parks, Crown and private lands, but does not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by a fire department. Please check with civic authorities for any restrictions before lighting a fire. Category 2 and 3 burning restrictions boundaries are outlined below Anyone found in contravention of an open fire ban may be issued a ticket for $345, or, if convicted in court, be fined up to $100,000 and sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person may be subject to a penalty of up to $10,000 and be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

3 P A G E 3 Fire Danger Rating Precipitation Temperature Relative Humidity These maps are current for May 24, For the most recent weather maps, please see These graphs are for informational purposes only and should not be used to base operational decisions

4 P A G E 4 Most recent forecast for KFC Kamloops Fire Centre Statistics Since April 1, 2011: Fires to date: 40 Hectares burned: 202 Person-caused fires: 40 Lightning-caused fires: at this time: Fires to date: 45 Hectares burned: 61 Person-caused fires: 43 Lightning-caused fires: at this time: Fires to date: 32 Hectares burned: 49 Person-caused fires: 28 Lightning-caused fires: 4 Valid as of 8:30 AM Wednesday, 25 May 2011 SYNOPSIS: An upper low in the Gulf of Alaska will spawn a series of upper lows which will track through the US south of the international border. These transient lows will maintain moist unstable conditions through the five day period, maintaining showers or periods of rain. TODAY: Mainly cloudy with scattered showers. Slight risk of a thunderstorm, especially in Lillooet zone. Wind east 20 km/h with the Fraser Canyon wind south 30 km/h this afternoon. High temperatures 18 to 22 and 14 to 18 in the north. RH values dropping to near 50 percent. TONIGHT: Cloudy with frequent showers and the risk of a thunderstorm. Periods of rain in Penticton and Merritt zones. Wind west 10 to 20 km/h overnight. Low temperatures 6 to 12 with RH recoveries to 100 percent. TOMORROW: Frequent showers or periods of rain starting in southern areas and moving north through the fire centre region. Wind southwest 20 km/h with the Fraser Canyon south 30 gusting 50 km/h in the afternoon. High temperatures 10 to 15 and 14 to 18 in the north. RH values dropping to near 50 percent. 3 TO 5 DAY OUTLOOK: Scattered showers on Friday becoming more isolated on Saturday and Sunday. Wind southwest 20 km/h through the period. Temperatures in the low to mid teens on Friday, warming to mid to upper teens by Saturday and Sunday. 6 TO 10 DAY OUTLOOK: Continuing upper trough giving unstable conditions and cooler temperatures. VENTING: Poor this morning below 800 metres, otherwise good. Inversion breakdown temperature 10 degrees. Plume drift east 10 km/h. 4 DAY VENTING OUTLK: Poor mid-evening until mid-morning, otherwise good. WINDS ALOFT: East 10 km/h this afternoon below 1000 metres, east to southeast 20 to 40 km/h between 1000 and 2500 metres and southeast 40 to 50 km/h above 2500 metres. CONFIDENCE: Good. Rainfall amounts up to 10 mm with locally higher amounts to 20 mm.

5 How are fires prioritized? Report a wildfire *5555 on a cell or Wildfire Information Line Important Numbers FOREST Burn Registration Line Kamloops Fire Information Officer P A G E 5 A strategic approach to fighting fires is necessary in order to prioritize fires and allocate resources as efficiently as possible. Occasionally, during periods of extreme fire activity, a fire will not be fully suppressed even if there is marketable timber involved. In some cases, fire officials may determine it would be safe to allow a fire to burn in order to allow resources to be allocated to a fire with a higher priority, such as one affecting a community. These fires would be continually monitored through patrols. Trigger points would be identified to indicate where greater risks may develop, and if the fire begins approaching these points, resources will be allocated to the fire to ensure problems do not arise. Values at risk Any values at risk are taken into account, both those immediately threatened and values within the surrounding area of the fire, that could eventually be at risk without suppression efforts. As per the legal requirements set out in BCERMS or British Columbia s Emergency Response Management prioritization guidelines, fire officials have to prioritise based on the following: 1. First responder safety 2. Public Safety 3. Government infrastructure 4. Improvements 5. Timber values 6. Other values Chances of Success Fire are also assessed based on whether the objectives are obtainable. Three fire-fighters will be 824 active fires burning within B.C. August 2009 more likely to be sent to a small 0.5 hectare fire than a 100-hectare fire, as the smaller fire would be more likely to be successfully extinguished based on the resources available. Want more information? Visit our websites at bcwildfire.ca & firesafebc.ca

6 P A G E 6 Industry Guidance Currently the fire danger rating is low to very low throughout most of the Kamloops. It is too soon to know what we will see into the summer months as weather models this far ahead are unpredictable. However, the forecast is indicating a warm summer with below average precipitation. If this materializes, we will experience additional fire starts. What we will be watching closely are the precipitation levels later in the spring, what we know as the June rains as this will certainly have an impact on the conditions we see during the summer months. Please pay particular attention to the fire danger rating in your area and ensure you are using the appropriate weather station data for the area in which you are operating and adhere to the shutdown formulas in the Wildfire Regulation. Remember, if you see or cause a wildfire, you have an obligation to report it, take action with available resources and extinguish it, if practicable. Thank you for your cooperation. Fine Fuel Moisture Codes The weather information is used to develop codes that are interpreted with regard to how dry the different classes of fuels are in the forest. From this, preparedness levels are set on a daily basis. The FFMC (Fine Fuel Moisture Code) is a code which measures the dryness of fine fuels (grasses, needles, etc). A number of 85 or higher indicates a good chance of a fire start from an ignition source. Once 90 or higher is reached, all the fine fuels are available to burn. The DMC (Duff Moisture Code) measures about 10 cm into the ground and is an indication of whether a fire that starts will continue to burn in the duff. A number of 40 or greater would indicate that a fire will continue to burn. The DC is the Drought Code, measuring deeper in the ground. A number of 300 or greater indicates that the fire will burn deep into the ground, providing challenges to mop up. The Dgr. Class is the typical Fire Danger Class that is seen on fire signage. 1 and 2 represent Low, 3 is Moderate, 4 is High, and 5 is Extreme. A map of the current fire danger ratings is on page 8, and these levels are likely to rise in the coming days with the continuing hot and dry trend. If you have any questions about which station your should be monitoring, please contact your company forester or fire zone for information.

7 Kamloops Fire Centre Indices P A G E 7