Prescribed burns to begin next week

With all the snow gone and lots of brown, dry grass around town, the Fort Frances Fire Department is ready to start burning controlled fires here next week.
“There’s no exact time or dates set yet but you’ll see them [firefighters] out there next week,” Fire Chief Steve Richardson said Friday.
Firefighter Greg Allan noted likely burn sites will include the field near Flinders Place, parts of the industrial park, near Lyndy Place, in the York Avenue region, by the airport, and some fields near St. Francis.
Some local residents also have requested burning permits.
“It’s really a preventative measure,” noted Chief Richardson. “If we have control of when and where the burns will happen, it’s better for everyone.”
“It’s much more cost-effective for us,” added Allan.
“We go out there and get it done quickly. We’ll be out there for a couple hours and when we leave, we make sure the fire’s out,” he noted, stressing it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially with some larger grass areas.
People wanting to burn in town are required to contact the fire department and get a permit. Some rules to remember include:
•open air burning is not permitted unless approved by the fire chief;
•burning must take place during daylight hours;
•you cannot burn during windy conditions;
•burning must only take place if a hose or other comparable source of extinguisher is within a usable distance of the fire; and
•you are required to contact the fire department when a burn begins and ends.
Debbie MacLean, regional fire management officer for the Ministry of Natural Resources, noted measures such as prescribed burns are a necessary part of the season.
“The hazard has kind of crept up. There’s a vulnerable period going on here, where things are between brown and green,” she remarked.
“If a fire gets started in an open area, there’s a good chance it could spread. Basically, stick to the rule–if it’s windy, don’t burn,” added McLean.
She noted there have been only three fires in the northwest region so far this season, which officially began April 1.