Fisheries and Aquaculture
May 11, 2015

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Vaughn Granter, Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency:

Preventing Fires Around Homes and Cabins

Mr. Speaker, with the Victoria Day long weekend fast approaching, I rise to remind residents about the risks associated with burning grass, brush and debris around their properties.

Forest fire season officially began on May 1 and will end on October 15 for the island of Newfoundland. In Labrador, the season begins on May 15 and ends on September 30. Already this season, 18 fires have been reported to fire suppression staff with the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency.

Mr. Speaker, we understand that at this time of the year people are eager to clean up their property and one way they do that is to burn grass and brush.

The burning of grass, in particular, is a very dangerous practice and we ask that people not burn grass on their properties. Fine fuels such as dead vegetation in fields and other open areas that may appear to be wet can dry and burn in a matter of hours when conditions change. The smallest fires have the potential to quickly get out of control and cause serious damage to property and sometimes lead to forest fires.

Reducing the number of human-caused fires is an integral component of our fire prevention program; it can be achieved if residents adhere to safe burning practices. A permit to burn is required under the Forestry Act for anyone wishing to burn brush and debris as part of clean-up activities around properties on or within 300 metres of forest land during the forest fire season. The lighting of fires for cooking and camping does not require a permit but certain forest fire regulations must be followed. Permits to burn and copies of the forest fire regulations can be obtained at regional or district forest management offices throughout the province.

Mr. Speaker, forest fires are a serious matter and Budget 2015 provides $3.9 million for forest fire control measures. The Provincial Government’s fire suppression staff, Incident Management Team, Air Services pilots, maintenance crews and other employees do tremendous work to protect our forests, our property and our people. We can assist them by being careful and helping to stop preventable fires from ever starting.

As residents tackle spring cleaning and head out to cabins, parks and campgrounds this weekend, and all throughout the year, I encourage them to keep fire safety foremost in their minds.

2015 05 11                             1:50 p.m.