The 2005 fire season ended
on October 26th, according to Brian Ballou, ODF's Wildland/Urban
Interface Specialist for the Southwest Oregon District.
The end of fire season pertains to all forestlands
protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest
Oregon District, and applies to state, county, private and Bureau
of Land Management forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties.
All public use restrictions as of that date were
lifted. Open and barrel burning have been allowed as of October
26th, but residents are required to follow local burning regulations,
including any permit requirements. The Colestin rural fire district
does not have any permit requirements during the wet season.We
do advise residents conducting burning to follow all usual fire
safety precautions.
The full text of ODF's public announcement
declaring the end of the 2005 fire season is as follows:
October 26, 2005
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY - SOUTHWEST OREGON DISTRICT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - SOUTHWEST OREGON NEWS MEDIA
5286 Table Rock RD - Central Point, OR 97502
Contact: Greg Alexander, (541) 664-3328 - Rick Dryer,
(541) 474-3152
FIRE SEASON
ENDS ON ODF-PROTECTED FORESTLANDS
Fire season ended
today at 8:00 A.M., October 26, 2005, on forestlands protected
by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest
Oregon District, and applies to state, county, private
and Bureau of Land Management forestlands in Jackson and
Josephine counties.
The district declared
fire season on June 27 and it lasted 122 days.
Open and barrel
burning are allowed as of today, but residents are required
to follow local burning regulations. Briefly, here are
the open burning regulations for Jackson and Josephine
counties:
Open burning is disallowed
within the city limits of Medford and Jacksonville.
Many fire districts require
a permit that must be obtained prior to starting an
open burn. Call your local fire protection district
for permit information.
Burning within Jackson County’s
Air Quality Maintenance Area is controlled. Call 776-7007
to find out whether burning is allowed prior to lighting
an open fire. In the City of Rogue River area, call
582-2876.
In Josephine County, call
476-9663 for open burning information.
Southwest
Oregon District Fire Season Statistics
|
2005 |
10-Year Average |
Human-Caused
Fires |
|
|
Number of Fires |
176 |
175 |
Acres Burned |
3,247 |
464 |
Lightning-Caused
Fires |
|
|
Number of Fires |
12 |
59 |
Acres Burned |
1,726 |
4,232 |
All Fires |
|
|
Number of Fires |
187 |
233 |
Acres Burned |
4,972 |
4,696 |
More than 96 percent of all fires on Southwest Oregon
District-protected lands were controlled at 10 acres or
less. Equipment use caused more fires than any other category
(e.g. lightning, juveniles, smokers, etc.).
Sixty-seven of the
district’s fires were caused by equipment; this
category includes power lines, vehicles, farm machinery,
logging equipment, brush cutters and mowers. Fires caused
by equipment use burned nearly 3,133 acres.
The district’s
largest fires were the Wasson Fire, which burned 1,510
acres, and the Deer Creek Fire, which burned 1,548 acres.
The district also managed a portion of the 14,908-acre
Blossom Complex.
The Southwest Oregon
District also benefited from a state-contracted retardant
bomber stationed at the Medford Airtanker Base from July
7 through September 20. This bomber, and others, dropped
99 loads of retardant on 16 district fires; retardant
drops were credited with stopping the spread of 11 of
these fires.
Nearly 275,000 gallons
of retardant were used on fires within the district.
For more information, contact the Oregon Department of
Forestry’s unit office in your area:
ODF Medford Unit,
5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point. Phone: (541) 664-3328
ODF Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Drive, Grants Pass.
Phone: (541) 474-3152
###
|
Previously this season:
All other public use restrictions, including the
use of chain saws and mowers, were lifted as of October 3rd.
All open burning and the use of burn barrels remained prohibited.
_________________
The ODF issued a news release on August
18th regarding fire restriction violations. The
full text is as follows:
August 18, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - SOUTHWEST OREGON NEWS
MEDIA
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY - SOUTHWEST OREGON
DISTRICT
5286 Table Rock RD - Central Point, OR 97502
Contact: Brian Ballou
CARELESS MOMENTS CAUSE COSTLY FIRES
Fire season is not the time to burn debris in
burn barrels or to use power-driven equipment, such as brush
cutters and chain saws, in areas of tall, dry grass. It is also
not the time to discard lit cigarettes or drive vehicles onto
dry grass. Yet all of these things are taking place nearly every
day on lands in Jackson and Josephine counties that are protected
by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon
District.
People cause 75 percent of all wildland fires
on the district; the rest are caused by lightning. Power equipment-caused
fires account for nearly one-third of all human-caused fires,
and nearly half of these fires are caused by vehicles –
automobiles, motorcycles or all-terrain vehicles. Chain saws,
brush cutters and mowers are also included in this category.
Also, escaped debris-burning fires cause 14 percent of the fires
fought by district firefighters, and smoker-related fires account
for 9 percent.
If a fire is human-caused, an investigation is
conducted to determine whether suppression costs can be recovered
from the responsible party.
On August 8, public “regulated use”
restrictions took effect on ODF-protected lands – which
include 1.8 million acres of state, private, county and Bureau
of Land Management lands in the two-county area – prohibiting
activities that cause most wildland fires. It is now illegal
to:
-- Use motorized vehicles off an improved road
-- Smoke while traveling, unless in an enclosed vehicle
-- Use fireworks
-- Have open fires, except campfires in designated campgrounds
-- Use chain saws
-- Mow dry grass with power-driven equipment, except to harvest
agriculture products (It’s also OK to mow a green lawn)
-- Cut, grind or weld metal outdoors
Violating a regulated use restriction may result
in a citation. Fines for regulated use violations range from
$94 to $493. Should a fire occur, the person who caused it may
get a ticket and a bill for suppression costs.
Fighting wildland fires is expensive. The cost
of a routine response to a reported fire ranges from $500 to
$1,500. If additional fire-fighting equipment is needed, the
cost rapidly increases. A helicopter costs approximately $2,000
for three hours of use, and each load of retardant dropped from
a bomber costs $10,000.
In just the past week in Josephine County, ODF
firefighters responded to 32 reports of regulated use violations:
seven reports of chain saw use, 14 reports of people mowing
or operating other equipment in dry grass, six reports of people
burning debris in burn barrels or piles, four reports of vehicles
being operated off of improved roads, and one report of someone
grinding and cutting metal in a fire hazard area. Additionally,
three fires occurred: one from equipment, one from debris burning
and one from a campfire.
Being careless with fire is costly. However, all
fires caused by carelessness are preventable.
For information about fire prevention and fire
season regulations, contact the Oregon Department of Forestry
at (541) 664-3328 in Central Point or at (541) 474-3152 in Grants
Pass, or call your local fire protection district.
###
Public fire danger regulated-use activity restrictions:
The
ODF announced that new fire danger regulated-use activity restrictions
are effective as of 12:01 AM Monday, August 8th, 2005. At this
time, the posted fire danger level also moved to Extreme.
Restrictions
pertain to all potentially fire-causing human activities. The
restrictions apply to all ODF-protected lands in Jackson and
Josephine counties. This includes private wildland properties
within the Colestin fire district. (For a clarification of how
the ODF and CRFD and Hilt VFD work together for fire prevention
and protection within our district, see
Our Legal Charter: Fire Protection
and Medical Services.)
According to regulations beginning on August 8th:
August 3, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - SOUTHWEST OREGON NEWS
MEDIA
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY - SOUTHWEST OREGON
DISTRICT
5286 Table Rock RD - Central Point, OR 97502
Contact: Greg Alexander, (541) 664-3328 [and]
Rick Dryer, (541) 474-3152
FIRE DANGER EXTREME ON ODF-PROTECTED LANDS
The wildland fire danger levels on lands protected
by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon
District are rising at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 8. The Industrial
Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) climbs to "Level 3" and
the public (Regulated Use) fire level is increasing to "Extreme"
(red). Specific restrictions are detailed below:
These restrictions affect state, county, private
and Bureau of Land Management lands in Jackson and Josephine
counties.
Under IFPL 3, the following restrictions
will be in place as of August 8, 2005:
-- Use of Fire – The use of fire in any
form is prohibited.
-- Partial Shutdown – The following are
prohibited except as indicated:
* Cable yarding – except that gravity operated logging
systems employing
non-motorized carriages may operate between 8:00 p.m., and 1:00
p.m.,
when all blocks and moving lines are suspended 10 feet above
the ground
except the line between the carriage and the chokers.
* Power saws – except power saws may be used at loading
sites and on tractor
or skidder operations between the hours of 8:00 p.m., and 1:00
p.m., local time.
-- In addition, the following are permitted only
between the hours of 8:00 p.m., and 1:00 p.m., local time:
* Tractor, skidder, feller-buncher, forwarder, and shovel logging
operations;
where equipment with a blade capable of constructing fireline
is immediately
available to quickly reach and effectively attack a fire.
* Mechanized loading or hauling of any product or material.
* Blasting.
* Welding or cutting of metal.
* Any spark emitting operation not specifically mentioned.
The following public (Regulated Use) fire
restrictions are now in place, as of August 8th, 2005:
-- Use of motorized vehicles, including motorcycles
and all terrain vehicles, is prohibited, except on improved
roads.
-- Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles
on improved roads.
-- Open fires are prohibited, including burn barrel use, campfires,
charcoal fires, cooking fires, debris burning, and warming fires
except at locations designated in writing by the Forester. Portable
cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed.
-- Chain saw use is prohibited.
-- Use of fireworks is prohibited.
-- Cutting, grinding and welding of metal is prohibited.
-- Mowing of dry grass with power driven equipment is prohibited,
except for the commercial culture and harvest of agricultural
crops.
Additionally, the following public use fire restrictions
will be in effect August 8 in the Wild and Scenic section of
the Rogue River, between Graves Creek and Marial:
-- Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in boats on
the water, and on sand or gravel bars which lay between water
and high water marks which are free of vegetation.
-- Open fires are prohibited, including campfires,
charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires. Portable cooking
stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels and raised bed barbecues
are allowed on sand or gravel bars which lay between water and
high water marks which are free of vegetation.
-- Possession of the following fire fighting equipment
is required while traveling: one shovel and a one gallon or
larger bucket.
For more information about fire season regulations,
or to view a map of areas affected by these regulations, contact
the Oregon Department of Forestry’s unit office in your
area:
-- ODF Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., Central
Point. Phone: (541) 664-3328
-- ODF Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Drive, Grants Pass. Phone:
(541) 474-3152
Current information about fire restrictions in the Medford and
Grants Pass units is also available on the World Wide Web:
ODF Medford Unit: http://oregon.gov/ODF/FIELD/MED/aboutus.shtml
ODF Grants Pass Unit: http://oregon.gov/ODF/FIELD/GP/aboutus.shtml
###
NEW:
The ODF's Southwest Oregon District now posts current fire
season information online, with the fire danger level and
public use restrictions. ODF
news releases and regulated
use proclamations that apply to state, private and BLM-managed
forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties are also posted.
View
the page for Jackson County.
The 2005 Fire Season in southern Oregon
was declared as of 12:01 A.M. on June 27th by the ODF.
Some public regulated-use closures were instituted in southern
Oregon at that time.
Additional
public activity restrictions were
posted on July 6th, due to continued hot and dry weather and
several wildfires. (These were the first restrictions to apply
within our district.)
On July 6th, the ODF issued the following public
activity fire restrictions:
1. Use of motorized vehicles, including motorcycles
and all terrain vehicles, is prohibited, except on improved
roads.
2. Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except
in vehicles on improved roads.
3. Open fires are prohibited, including burn
barrel use, campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires, debris
burning, and warming fires except at locations designated in
writing by the Forester. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied
or bottled fuels are allowed.
4. Chain saw use is prohibited, between the hours
of 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Chain saw use is permitted at all
other hours, if the following fire fighting equipment is present
with each operating saw: one axe, one shovel, and one
operational 8 ounce or larger fire
extinguisher. In addition, a fire watch is required at least
one hour following the use of each saw.
5. Use of fireworks is prohibited.
6. Cutting, grinding and welding of metal is prohibited, between
the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Cutting, grinding and welding
of metal is permitted at all other hours, if conducted in a cleared
area and if a water supply is present.
7. Mowing of grass with power driven equipment is prohibited,
except for the commercial culture and harvest of agricultural
crops.
The State Forester or an authorized representative must approve
any waiver of these requirements in writing.
Definitions:
"Axe" means a wood cutting tool having a handle of
not less than 26 inches in length and a head weight of not less
than 2 pounds.
"Cleared area" means an area surrounding the specified
activity from which all flammable vegetation has been removed
for the distance necessary to prevent the spread of fire from
the activity to the adjacent forestland.
“Entrants” means all persons.
"Fire watch" means a person who is physically capable
and experienced to constantly observe all areas in which chain
saw use occurred and who has adequate communications to summon
fire fighting assistance. "Fireworks" means any combustible
or explosive device or any other article which was prepared for
the purpose of providing a visible or audible
effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration or detonation, including
firecrackers, fountains, skyrockets, snakes and sparklers.
“Forester” means the State Forester or authorized
representative.
"Improved road" means a road maintained for the use
of passenger cars and that is clear of flammable debris.
"Open fire" means the outdoor burning of any matter
in such a way that the combustion air is not effectively controlled
and the products of combustion are emitted directly into the atmosphere
without passing through a stack or chimney.
“Restrictions” means those requirements which must
be complied with when on lands subject to this proclamation, unless
waived or modified by the forester in writing. Such requirements
do not apply to an operation for which a permit has been issued
in accordance with ORS 477.625.
"Shovel" means a digging tool having a handle of not
less than 26 inches in length and a blade of approximately 6-8
inches in width.
___________________________
The above information comes directly from the Oregon Dept. of
Forestry's Regulated Closure Proclamation 06, issued from Salem,
OR., on 00:01 a.m., PDT, Friday, July 8, 2005 by Richard D. Gibson,
Fire Policy and Prevention Manager. This proclamation shall remain
in full force and effect until terminated by similar order of
the forester.
View
this proclamation (in pdf file format). ODF's online fire season information Regulated
Use Proclamations section also has a direct link to this document.
As of Thursday, July 28th, the restriction
curfew for some public regulated-use activities on public and
private lands (chain saws, mowers and other power-driven equipment)
moved to earlier in the day.
On July 26th, the Oregon Department of Forestry
announced the following:
July 26, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - SOUTHWEST OREGON NEWS MEDIA
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY - SOUTHWEST OREGON
DISTRICT
5286 Table Rock RD - Central Point, OR 97502
Contact: Greg Alexander, (541) 664-3328 [and] Rick
Dryer, (541) 474-3152
HOT WEATHER PROMPTS INCREASED FIRE PRECAUTION
LEVELS
Prolonged hot and dry weather throughout southwest
Oregon is prompting increased fire restrictions on lands protected
by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon
District, based in Central Point.
The Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) climbs
to “Level 2” at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, July 28.
The Public Use fire precaution level remains “High”
(yellow); however, chain saws, mowers and other power-driven equipment
may be used only during early morning and late evening hours.
These restrictions affect state, county, private
and Bureau of Land Management lands in Jackson and Josephine counties.
Under IFPL 2, the following restrictions
shall be in place as of July 28:
1. Commercial operators on forestlands are required
to have fire suppression equipment on site and provide watchman
service
2. The use of fire in any form is prohibited.
3. Power saws may not be operated between 1:00 p.m.
and 8:00 p.m., except at loading sites.
4. Cable yarding may not take place between 1:00
p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
5. Blasting is disallowed between 1:00 p.m. and
8:00 p.m.
6. Welding or cutting of metal may not take place
between 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Public fire restrictions:
1. The use of motorized vehicles, motorcycles and
all-terrain vehicles, is prohibited except on improved roads.
2. Chain saw use is prohibited between the hours
of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Chain saw use is permitted at all
other hours if the following fire fighting equipment is present
with each operating saw: one axe, one shovel, and one operational
8-ounce or larger fire extinguisher. In addition, a fire watch
is required at least one hour following the use of each saw.
3. Mowing of dry grass with power driven equipment
is prohibited between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., except
for the commercial culture and harvest of agricultural crops.
4. Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except
in vehicles on improved roads.
5. Open fires to burn debris are prohibited; burn
barrels are also disallowed. Campfires, charcoal fires, cooking
fires and warming fires are allowed only in designated campgrounds.
6. Cutting, grinding and welding of metal is prohibited,
between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Cutting, grinding
and welding of metal is permitted at all other hours, if conducted
in a cleared area and if a water supply is present.
ODF’s Southwest Oregon District protects 1.8
million acres of forestland. Fire season was declared on these
lands June 27.
For more information about fire season regulations,
or to view a map of areas affected by these regulations, contact
the Oregon Department of Forestry’s unit office in your
area:
ODF Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point.
Phone: (541) 664-3328
ODF Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Drive, Grants
Pass. Phone: (541) 474-3152
Current information about fire restrictions on the
Medford and Grants Pass units is also available on the World Wide
Web:
ODF Medford Unit: http://oregon.gov/ODF/FIELD/MED/aboutus.shtml
ODF Grants Pass Unit: http://oregon.gov/ODF/FIELD/GP/aboutus.shtml
###
For additional info see:
Restrictions
increased on potential fire starters today
Local, 8 July 2005 - ODF announcement
in The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.)
Drier
conditions will force start of 2005 fire season
24 June 2005 - by Jack Moran for The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR.)
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