BLUEWATER – With dry conditions and no rain predicted for the rest of the week, Bluewater Fire Services is issuing a burning ban in Hay East and Hay West Wards, effective tomorrow.
The burn ban will remain in effect until significant rainfall has occurred in those wards, according to a press release issued today. The burning ban may be extended to other wards in Bluewater at a future date.
The ban has been put into place as a preventative measure to reduce incidences of uncontrolled fires, said Dave Johnston, who is the municipality’s fire chief. When the ban is lifted, it will be posted on the municipality’s website.
A fire ban prohibits all outside fires including normally permitted open air burning within the affected areas. People who don’t comply with open-burning regulations man be fined under the Ontario Fire Code.
The Municipality of Bluewater has set a recovery charge of $350 per incident when the fire department responds to a call involving an open-air fire for which a property owner does not have open-air burning approval.
Another press release was issued today by Marty Bedard, who is the Huron County fire co-ordinator. On behalf of all fire departments across Huron County, he urged the public to refrain from open-air burning due to the dry, hot weather and lack of rain.
Residents were advised to check their local fire department for open air burning regulations or current fire bans in place.
While plant life may still appear to be green, and some areas have received rain, the moisture content is low and the ground dry and it will burn easily. Unauthorized burns that get out of control could result in unwanted charges to the property owner.
Here is a list of fire departments in Huron County:
Municipality of Bluewater: Fire Chief Dave Johnston
d.johnston@town.bluewater.on.ca
519-236-4351 ext. 224
Municipality of Central Huron: Fire Chief Steve Cooke
Steve.cooke@centralhuron.com
519-482-3043
Town of Goderich: Fire Chief Steve Gardiner
sgardiner@goderich.ca
519-524-7972
Municipality of Huron East: Fire Chief Marty Bedard
mbedard@huroneast.com
519-527-0160
Township of Howick: Fire Chief Shawn Edwards
howickfiredept@wightman.ca
519-335-3202
Township of North Huron: Acting Fire Chief Keith Hodgkinson
khodgkinson@fdnh.ca
519-357-3240
Municipality of South Huron: Fire Chief John Morgan
j.morgan@southhuron.ca
519-235-1981
Township of ACW: Fire Chief Peter Steer
steer@tnt21.com
Clerk Administrator – Mark Becker
clerk@acwtownship.ca
519-524-4669
Municipality of Morris-Turnberry: Fire Safety Officer James Marshall
jmarshall@morristurnberry.ca
519-887-613
