Typically, the City of Moncton Fire Department will implement a “fire ban” on the municipality if the conditions require it.
For life updates, you can check the New Brunswick fire ban page here.
This ban was imposed as a response to the extremely warm weather experienced in the first half of May. These weather conditions have caused quite a few fires this year that had to be responded to by our firefighters – some severely damaging properties and others only requiring minimal resources from our department.
This fire ban is in effect for all open air burning, including recreational fires, grills and charcoal tanks on private property. If a fire does occur due to lack of compliance with the fire ban, our department will investigate and lay charges accordingly.
Appliances such as barbecue grills, fire pits, etc. are not permitted in parks or public places within the City of Moncton. Only contained portable barbecues (that meet or exceed Alberta Fire Code regulations) may be used in City of Moncton parks and public places. Portable barbecues may be used on private property or in designated areas in parks provided they are moved to a new location at least every three days.
All the precautions set by the fire department and local governments are what help to keep Moncton safe.
What is a fire ban?
Fire bans are put in place when the conditions around a wildfire make it too dangerous to fight the fire.
A fire ban is often used in combination with a fire restriction to control and suppress wildfires. Fire bans restrict any outdoor burning, regardless of whether or not they are in the “wildland-urban interface”. This means that open fires, bonfires, fireworks, cigar celebrations, and weed smoking are all prohibited during this time period.
You might also hear them called “fire restrictions”, as there is some overlap of what constitutes both terms in terms of legal language and geographical usage.”.
In Canada, campfires are the major contributing factor in the overwhelming majority of wildland fire incidents. Wildland fires which start in the bushland often run out of control, destroying property and endangering lives. The bans are designed to reduce this risk. In areas where lightning is known to strike during dry weather, it is not uncommon for fire bans to be implemented as a precaution. When lightning is present, open fires become hazardous because they can easily ignite when a bolt of lightning strikes nearby.
There are many reasons for implementing such restrictions around wildfire risk conditions.
Do fire bans help prevent fires?
Bans are imposed during periods of extreme risk, such as during extremely high temperatures and low humidity. This can create a dangerous situation where conditions are ripe for wildfires to start, but fire departments cannot effectively fight the fires once they start. Bans can help reduce the number of new fires started by preventing people from holding open fires or engaging in other activities that could potentially cause a wildfire.
Because they limit open burning, bans also reduce the amount of smoke pollution in the air. Smoke from fires contains pollutants that pose serious health risks to people and animals. This is particularly important for people who have respiratory problems such as asthma and COPD sufferers.
Having a backyard fire in Moncton
It’s also worth mentioning that the city has closed the firepit loophole and there is now a $10 fee to have backyard fire permits. Fire pit use is also prohibited when the province issues no burn notice’s.
You can check out this article by CBC for more information on the fire pit loophole and backyard fire permit fee.
