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Chief’s Corner: Be smart outdoors — summer fire safety tips

Mike Brown

Nine out of 10 wildfires are preventable. In other words, nine out of 10 wildfires are caused by people from carelessness.

Always be careful with fire. With warmer temperatures and low precipitation the past several winters, conditions are ideal for increased risk of wildfire threat.

Human carelessness is avoidable — be aware of your surroundings, exercise extra caution and be conscientious when recreating outdoors.



Practice general fire-safety precautions such as these:

Never leave a campfire unattended. Extinguish all campfires completely and stir ashes to make sure no hot coals remain.



Dispose of cigarettes in proper receptacles away from any flammable material.

Never use stoves, lanterns or heaters inside a tent.

Store flammable liquid containers in a safe place.

Avoid driving through dry vegetation or parking your vehicle in high grass or dry vegetation.

At the first sight of smoke or a wildfire call 911.

The USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit implemented Fire Restrictions in the Tahoe Basin effective June 26, 2014.

“Fire restrictions help reduce the possibility of accidental human caused fires,” said USFS Fire Management Officer, Kit Bailey.

On National Forest System land fire restrictions mean:

No open fires or campfires are allowed outside of designated recreation sites even with a valid campfire permit.  Portable stoves using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed with a valid campfire permit.

No possessing or using any kind of fireworks or other pyrotechnic device.

No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated recreation site.

No welding, or operating acetylene or any other torch with an open flame.

No operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed and maintained in effective working order.

The fire restriction Forest Order is posted at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/ForestOrders.

For more information, go to the fire restriction webpage at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/FireRestrictions.

“Chief’s Corner” is a regular feature in the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza from North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District Chief Mike Brown, offering information, tips and education material on fire safety, emergency preparedness and other pertinent topics.


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