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Fire danger stays high, restrictions to increase |
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August 14, 2017 |
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The Coeur
d'Alene dispatch area, shaded in yellow,
is at Stage 1 fire restriction now, and
will increase to Stage 2 at midnight
Wednesday. |
Drought conditions coupled with extreme fire
danger levels continue to persist in northern
Idaho. These conditions have prompted fire
restrictions to be raised to Stage 2 in
accordance with the criteria established in the
2017 Idaho Fire Restrictions Plan for all lands
in the Coeur d’Alene Dispatch area.
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions will be implemented
beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, August 16,
and will remain in effect until further notice.
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are being implemented
in the Coeur d’Alene Fire Restriction Area,
which includes all state, federal, and private
forestland and rangeland in Benewah, Bonner,
Boundary, Kootenai, Shoshone, and Latah
Counties. This also includes public lands in
Washington and Montana that are administered by
the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. These
restrictions are being implemented by agencies
managing lands or providing wildland fire
protection in the area, including the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), the Coeur d’Alene Tribe,
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Idaho Department of
Lands (IDL), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
Under Stage 2 fire restrictions, the following
acts are prohibited on the restricted private,
state and federally managed or protected lands,
roads and trails:
1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, or stove
fire.
2. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a designated
recreation site or while stopped in an area at
least three feet in diameter that is barren or
cleared of all flammable materials.
3. Operating motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails in
accordance with existing travel management plans
for non-commercial purposes including ATVs, UTVs,
and pickups.
4. The following acts are prohibited from 1:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.: (A
patrol is required for one hour following
cessation of all work as described in a, b and c
below.)
a. Operating a chainsaw or other equipment
powered by an internal combustion engine for
felling, bucking, skidding, processing, road
building and woodcutting or any other activity
employing the use of an internal combustion
engine or off-road activity associated with
industrial operations or fire wood gathering.
b. Blasting, welding, or other activities that
generate flame or flammable material.
c. Using an explosive.
The following are exemptions to the Stage 2 Fire
Restrictions:
1. Persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the
otherwise prohibited act.
2. Persons using a fire or stove fire fueled solely by liquid petroleum
or LPG fuels. Such devices, including propane
campfires, may be used only in an area cleared
of flammable material.
3. Persons using a generator with an approved spark arrester on areas
that are cleared of all flammable materials
within three feet of the generator.
4. Private landowners using charcoal (disposed of properly) or propane
barbecues on their own lands.
5. Normal operations on crop lands.
6. Emergency repair of public utilities and railroads as per conditions
in Stage II Exemptions for Public Utilities and
Railroads. Please see Appendix 10 of the 2017
Idaho Interagency Fire Restrictions plan
available at
http://www.idahofireinfo.com/.
7. Any federal, state, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue
or firefighting force, in the performance of an
official duty.
8. Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the
activity is specifically authorized by written
posted notice.
9. All land within a city boundary.
With the extreme conditions the region is
experiencing, fire managers are asking the
public to be extra cautious when spending time
in the outdoors. As a reminder, fireworks are
prohibited on state and private forestland and
rangeland, and on public lands, roads, and
trails in Idaho during closed fire season (May
10 through October 20). Possession and/or use of
fireworks is always prohibited on federal public
lands.
Please visit
http://www.idahofireinfo.com/p/fire-restrictions.html
for a detailed map and current information
regarding fire restrictions or contact the local
land management office. |
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