It's that time of year again!
The Spanish Peaks Mud Racing Association will be holding the Memorial Day Mud Race on Sunday, May 30, 2010. We urge everyone to come and have a great time! The Mud Pit is located just off Exit 34, outside of Aguilar.
As always, the Spanish Peaks Volunteer Fire Department will be staging at the event - just in case.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Summer Safety Tips: ATV Riding
As temperatures finally start to warm up, the Bon Carbo Volunteer Fire Department is seeing more ATVs on the road-and off. We encourage safe and fun ATV experiences!
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has put together a great site with safety tips, links to training courses, and upcoming legislation affecting ATVs. Please take a few minutes to visit!
Stay Safe!
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has put together a great site with safety tips, links to training courses, and upcoming legislation affecting ATVs. Please take a few minutes to visit!
Stay Safe!
Friday, May 14, 2010
How to Burn Debris Safely, Part 3 – Using a Burn Barrel
You can reduce the risk of wildfire when using a burn barrel to dispose of backyard debris if you make sure:
Your burn barrel is of all-metal construction and is in good condition. When checking your barrel, look at the walls and bottom to make sure rust hasn't weakened them, even in spots.
Make sure your barrel is properly ventilated by evenly spacing three 3" square vents near the bottom around the rim and backing each vent with a metal screen.
Put a metal screen on top of your barrel to keep sparks from igniting vegetation - it's recommended you use 14 gauge wire mesh size of 1/4" or finer.
Have a shovel, rake and plenty of water near the burn site.
NEVER use an accelerant in a burn barrel or burn pile. Especially if you like your eyebrows!
Start small and add as you go ... put small twigs and branches at the bottom of the barrel because they ignite quickly, and make sure to stir frequently to introduce new oxygen. After you've established a vigorous heat source from your twigs, etc., add leaves, needles, and bark in small increments and continue to stir frequently to make sure everything gets burned. You'll want to add to your fire gradually because if you have a lot of debris burning in your barrel at once, the intense heat it will generate can cause embers to fly high and over your control line.
REMEMBER, it's illegal to burn just about anything that isn't from a tree or shrub. That means you'll need to take your plastic items (surprisingly, that including window envelopes as they give off toxic fumes), tires, batteries, asphalt, treated wood, pesticide containers, petroleum products, etc. to the landfill.
When you're finished burning, make sure the fire is OUT! Pour water on it, stir it, then pour more water on it and monitor it for two hours to make sure it doesn't reignite. It's hard to believe, but days and even weeks after a fire is thought to be out, a burn pile or barrel can still hold heat! With warm spells, the humidity drops. Add a little Boncarbo wind gust and embers can not only be reignited, but they can be tossed willy-nilly which may just spell disaster for you and your loved ones.
As always, keep your burn site a safe distance away from trees, overhanging branches, vehicles, and/or structures.
To be completely safe, consider an alternative to burning. Can you use your planned burn as compost to enrich your soil? Or how about building a shelter for the rabbits, etc. to live in - if you layer branches and twigs in different directions on top of small logs, you'll be making nesting areas for various wildlife.
If, heaven forbid, your fire gets away from you, call 9-1-1 immediately. You can always try to get the fire under control with the water, shovel, & rake you have nearby AFTER help is on the way.
Posted by Colleen C.
Your burn barrel is of all-metal construction and is in good condition. When checking your barrel, look at the walls and bottom to make sure rust hasn't weakened them, even in spots.
Make sure your barrel is properly ventilated by evenly spacing three 3" square vents near the bottom around the rim and backing each vent with a metal screen.
Put a metal screen on top of your barrel to keep sparks from igniting vegetation - it's recommended you use 14 gauge wire mesh size of 1/4" or finer.
Have a shovel, rake and plenty of water near the burn site.
NEVER use an accelerant in a burn barrel or burn pile. Especially if you like your eyebrows!
Start small and add as you go ... put small twigs and branches at the bottom of the barrel because they ignite quickly, and make sure to stir frequently to introduce new oxygen. After you've established a vigorous heat source from your twigs, etc., add leaves, needles, and bark in small increments and continue to stir frequently to make sure everything gets burned. You'll want to add to your fire gradually because if you have a lot of debris burning in your barrel at once, the intense heat it will generate can cause embers to fly high and over your control line.
REMEMBER, it's illegal to burn just about anything that isn't from a tree or shrub. That means you'll need to take your plastic items (surprisingly, that including window envelopes as they give off toxic fumes), tires, batteries, asphalt, treated wood, pesticide containers, petroleum products, etc. to the landfill.
When you're finished burning, make sure the fire is OUT! Pour water on it, stir it, then pour more water on it and monitor it for two hours to make sure it doesn't reignite. It's hard to believe, but days and even weeks after a fire is thought to be out, a burn pile or barrel can still hold heat! With warm spells, the humidity drops. Add a little Boncarbo wind gust and embers can not only be reignited, but they can be tossed willy-nilly which may just spell disaster for you and your loved ones.
As always, keep your burn site a safe distance away from trees, overhanging branches, vehicles, and/or structures.
To be completely safe, consider an alternative to burning. Can you use your planned burn as compost to enrich your soil? Or how about building a shelter for the rabbits, etc. to live in - if you layer branches and twigs in different directions on top of small logs, you'll be making nesting areas for various wildlife.
If, heaven forbid, your fire gets away from you, call 9-1-1 immediately. You can always try to get the fire under control with the water, shovel, & rake you have nearby AFTER help is on the way.
Posted by Colleen C.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Summer Safety Tips: Physical Activity
Summer is a time when many of us become much more active after a winter of forced inactivity. The Bon Carbo Volunteer Fire Departments wants you to be safe this summer!
Please read this article for tips on resuming physical activity in the summer!
Stay Safe!
Please read this article for tips on resuming physical activity in the summer!
Stay Safe!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Summer Safety Tips: Sunburns
With summer fast approaching, despite the cool temperatures, the Bon Carbo Volunteer Fire Department would like to share some Summer Safety Tips. This week: Sunburn!
Avoiding sunburn is always preferable to treating one. Remember to use sunscreen, and reapply often. If you're wearing light colored clothing, place a layer of sunscreen underneath your clothes before you get dressed-UV rays can penetrate light colored clothing! Trips to the bathroom during your daily activities can give you a chance to reapply sunscreen in these areas.
There are some amazing products on the market today. Consumer reports has an article with recommendations and tips.
If you do get a sunburn, RevolutionHealth has an article with treatment ideas.
Stay safe this summer!
Avoiding sunburn is always preferable to treating one. Remember to use sunscreen, and reapply often. If you're wearing light colored clothing, place a layer of sunscreen underneath your clothes before you get dressed-UV rays can penetrate light colored clothing! Trips to the bathroom during your daily activities can give you a chance to reapply sunscreen in these areas.
There are some amazing products on the market today. Consumer reports has an article with recommendations and tips.
If you do get a sunburn, RevolutionHealth has an article with treatment ideas.
Stay safe this summer!
Friday, April 16, 2010
How to Burn Debris Safely, Part Two – Preparing the Burn Site
AFTER we’ve gotten our burn permit from Chief Mary Ann (see “How to Burn Debris Safely – Part One”), we’ll prepare our burn site so that an ember, flame, or radiant heat doesn’t reach nearby vegetation and possibly start a fire that may quickly get out of control.
With safety the number one priority, we’ll make sure our vertical clearance is three or more times higher than the pile we plan to burn. Just because we can’t see radiant heat above the flames leaping several feet into the air, it doesn’t mean it’s not there … and it doesn’t mean it won’t go even higher. For that reason, we’ll check to make sure there aren’t any power lines or overhanging limbs above the burn site. We’ll also move vehicles well away from the burn area and make sure the burn site is nowhere near the house or outbuildings.
Taking fire very seriously, we’ll clear a minimum of ten feet in diameter around our burn pile or barrel, and we’ll make sure the debris pile or barrel is surrounded by nothing more than soil or gravel. We’ll also water the area around the burn site before we light the debris, and we’ll make sure we have a fire extinguisher or hose AND a shovel handy – just in case.
Right about now you’re probably thinking, “First of all, this sounds like an awful lot of work, and second – who is this we you keep talking about?”, but a well-prepared burn site will reduce the possibility of regret once that piles goes up in flames. I’m pretty sure we’ll … okay … you’ll be glad you made the effort.
Part three of the “How to Burn Debris Safely” series will discuss the use of a burn barrel and will be posted at a later date.
Posted by Colleen C.
With safety the number one priority, we’ll make sure our vertical clearance is three or more times higher than the pile we plan to burn. Just because we can’t see radiant heat above the flames leaping several feet into the air, it doesn’t mean it’s not there … and it doesn’t mean it won’t go even higher. For that reason, we’ll check to make sure there aren’t any power lines or overhanging limbs above the burn site. We’ll also move vehicles well away from the burn area and make sure the burn site is nowhere near the house or outbuildings.
Taking fire very seriously, we’ll clear a minimum of ten feet in diameter around our burn pile or barrel, and we’ll make sure the debris pile or barrel is surrounded by nothing more than soil or gravel. We’ll also water the area around the burn site before we light the debris, and we’ll make sure we have a fire extinguisher or hose AND a shovel handy – just in case.
Right about now you’re probably thinking, “First of all, this sounds like an awful lot of work, and second – who is this we you keep talking about?”, but a well-prepared burn site will reduce the possibility of regret once that piles goes up in flames. I’m pretty sure we’ll … okay … you’ll be glad you made the effort.
Part three of the “How to Burn Debris Safely” series will discuss the use of a burn barrel and will be posted at a later date.
Posted by Colleen C.
Friday, April 9, 2010
How to Burn Debris Safely – Part One
During the coming months, many of us will be diligent in clearing a defensible space around our homes and outbuildings. Once we’ve gotten those branches, pine needles, brush cuttings and leaves piled high, it won’t be a good idea to just leave them where they lie … not only are they eye sores and great places for snakes to make their homes, but they can be a fire’s best chance to spread.
The first thing we’ll need to do is get a burn permit. This is crucial because on Red Flag Warning days, it’s just too hazardous for burning anything, even in a wood stove or fireplace. Chicago may be the official ‘windy city’, but our winds here in Boncarbo are pretty impressive at times! A nice gust could carry sparks from our burn sites to grass or brush a considerable distance away, and then we could be in big trouble. Not only will we have to deal with the fire damage and possible injuries, but we could get slapped with a fine for the illegal burn.
To get a burn permit we’ll need to call Mary Ann Herzog, Fire Chief of the Bon Carbo Volunteer Fire Department, at 846-8538 to make the request. If she’s unable to answer, we can leave a message – she’ll call back as soon as possible.
If a permit has been issued to us in the past, Chief Mary Ann will be able to give verbal approval over the phone. If this is a first request, she’ll schedule an appointment to inspect our burn site and, if it’s safe, issue the physical burn permit then.
It’s illegal to burn pretty much anything other than what we’ve cleared from trees or shrubs, so we’ll have to forget about torching those old tires or that stack of plastic bottles and containers we’ve been meaning to take to the landfill. Besides, some of those things give off toxic fumes when burned.
How to Burn Debris Safely, Part Two will cover how to prepare the burn site and will be posted at a later date.
Posted by Colleen C.
The first thing we’ll need to do is get a burn permit. This is crucial because on Red Flag Warning days, it’s just too hazardous for burning anything, even in a wood stove or fireplace. Chicago may be the official ‘windy city’, but our winds here in Boncarbo are pretty impressive at times! A nice gust could carry sparks from our burn sites to grass or brush a considerable distance away, and then we could be in big trouble. Not only will we have to deal with the fire damage and possible injuries, but we could get slapped with a fine for the illegal burn.
To get a burn permit we’ll need to call Mary Ann Herzog, Fire Chief of the Bon Carbo Volunteer Fire Department, at 846-8538 to make the request. If she’s unable to answer, we can leave a message – she’ll call back as soon as possible.
If a permit has been issued to us in the past, Chief Mary Ann will be able to give verbal approval over the phone. If this is a first request, she’ll schedule an appointment to inspect our burn site and, if it’s safe, issue the physical burn permit then.
It’s illegal to burn pretty much anything other than what we’ve cleared from trees or shrubs, so we’ll have to forget about torching those old tires or that stack of plastic bottles and containers we’ve been meaning to take to the landfill. Besides, some of those things give off toxic fumes when burned.
How to Burn Debris Safely, Part Two will cover how to prepare the burn site and will be posted at a later date.
Posted by Colleen C.
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