By order of the Fire Chief, there will be no opening burning within the City of Penticton boundaries, effective April 7, 2020, and until further notice. This order is in alignment with the Provincial Fire Bans and Smoke Control Measures put in place by the B.C. Ministry of Environment on March 26, 2020 and the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development / B.C. Wildfire Service on April 7, 2020. This order includes:
- the use backyard fire pits,
- Category 2 open fires,
- Category 3 open fires,
- Resource Management open fires,
- the use of fireworks,
- the use of sky lanterns, and
- the use of burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description.
Why is this Fire Ban being put into place at this time?
As cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in BC continue to present a threat, the BC Centre for Disease Control recommends implementing measures that help reduce excess air pollution in populated airsheds across the province. There is strong evidence that exposure to air pollution increases susceptibility to respiratory viral infections by decreasing immune function. This means that:
- deterioration in air quality may lead to more COVID-19 infections overall;
- deterioration in air quality may lead to more cases of severe COVID-19 infections, adding further demand to our healthcare system; and
- improvements to air quality may help to protect the whole population from COVID-19 and its potentially severe effects.
These open burning prohibitions will also reduce demands on firefighting resources and help protect the health and safety of the public, as well as firefighting staff. Typically, human-caused fires are more common in the spring due to field and debris burning. By enacting an earlier burning prohibition, there is an anticipated reduction in human-caused wildfires. This will minimize the need to deploy staff which helps to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19.
The City of Penticton thanks all residents for their cooperation during these difficult times.