Spring Clean Up is the Right Thing To Do-Do it the Right Way

Excerpt from "Interagency Fire Prevention Education Team Newsletter" dated March 23, 2009-


If you live in a wildland area, you need to use all equipment responsibly-whether creating a defensible space around your home, mowing the lawn, or pulling your dirt bike to the side of the road. Lawnmowers, weed eaters, chainsaws, grinders, welders, tractors and trimmers can all spark a wildland fire. Do your part, the right way, to keep your community fire safe:

• Do your clearance before 10 a.m.-not in the heat of the day, or when the wind is blowing!
• Never use law mowers in dry vegetation. Use a weed trimmer to cut dry weeds and grass.
• Remove rocks in the area before you operate equipment. A hidden rock can start a fire when struck by a metal blade.
• In wildland areas, spark arresters are required on all portable gasonline-powered equipment, including tractors, harvesters, chainsaws, weed eaters, mowers, motorcycles, and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs).
• Keep the exhaust system, spark arresters and mower in proper working order and free of carbon buildup. Use the recommended grade of fuel and don't fill to the top.
• Keep the engine free of oil and dust, and keep the mower free of flammable materials.
• In wildland areas, a permit may be required for grinding and welding operations, and spark shields may be required on equipment. Be sure to have 10 feet of clearance, a 46" round point shovel, and a back up pump water-type fire extinguisher ready.
• Hot exhaust pipes and mufflers can start fires you won't even see-until its too late! Don't drive a vehicle into dry grass or brush.
• Keep a cell phone nearby and call 911 immediately in case of a fire!

Anyone who causes a wildfire (whether intentionally or through carelessness) may be held responsible or the costs of suppressing it and for any damages the fire may cause. Once started, the amount of damage a fire may cause is literally limitless-up to and including loss of life. Spring clean up of your yard is the right thing to do, please do it the right way!

For more information on safe practices, contact the Bon Carbo Volunteer Fire Department at 846-2399.