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CAMPFIRE SAFETY
CFPA wants you to enjoy your parks, beaches, and mountains, and all recreational activity within the district, sitting around a campfire is one of the those activities.
Always check with our office if you are planning to have a campfire to
assure that campfires are allowed in that location. If campfires are
allowed,
below are campfire building requirements to help ensure that your
campfire will be safe.
* Select
an open level spot away from trees, logs (including driftwood), stumps,
overhanging branches, dense dry grass, and forest liter.
Also avoid buildings
and power lines.
* Clear a 10-foot fire circle (5-feet on all sides of the fire) to bare soil, removing all leaves, twigs, litter, and other burnable materials.
* Dig a shallow fire pit in the center of the circle, then circle the pit with rocks or place a fire ring in center, to shelter the fire from the wind.
* Build your campfire
downwind and at a safe distance from any and all burnable materials. Place your
stack of firewood downwind from
the campfire and at a safe distance. Remember
also the wind direction can change at any time.
* Never leave your campfire unattended, and after you light it, throw your match into the fire. Keep your campfire small to minimize the chance of a disaster.
* If any sparks escape the campfire, have a shovel or water handy to put them out.
* The location of your
campfire will determine the fire tools that you will need to have with you. At a minimum, always be prepared with a couple of
buckets of water, a shovel,
and an ax.
When you leave the campfire for any reason, make sure you put the campfire out – DEAD OUT !!!!
Drown all embers, sticks, and coals, especially those that might have fallen under the rocks
Stir the coals to make sure all heat has been removed
Drown the area again
Make a sweep of your campfire site to look for hot embers, and pick up flammable materials you brought with you.
Please remember that wildfire
prevention is your individual responsibility.
Be alert to weather conditions,
For Campfires at your place of Residence
When you call a
CFPA office, we will make an appointment to come to your
residence to inspect your campfire ring and location of the campfire.
These
inspections are conducted each fire season. We will also check the tools you
have accessible and the woody materials you will be burning.
When approved, we
will take your name, address, and phone number to include to our database of
approved campfire sites.
For Campfires in ALL other Locations
You will need to follow the rules of the Regulated Use Closure. Campfires are only permitted in campgrounds with approved campfire rings. During a Regulated Use Closure it is NOT permitted to have a campfire outside of these locations, this includes warming fires.
Contact your nearest
CFPA office for more information.
