Fire Prevention
In case of fire call 9-1-1.
Fire prevention is the key to the protection of forests. The Société de Conservation de l’Outaouais (SCO) recommends that every cottager and landowner take the precautions outlined below to ensure effective fire protection on their property.
Spark arrestors – Chimney or stovepipes must be equipped with a metal spark arrestor in good condition and with openings not greater than 1 centimetre in all buildings in or near the forest equipped with a wood or coal stove or an interior or exterior fireplace.
Chimney cleaning – Chimneys must be cleaned annually or whenever the accumulation of soot presents a fire danger.
Chimney opening – All vegetation within a radius of 3 metres of a chimney opening must be removed.
Ashes – Ashes must be disposed of in metal containers and wetted before placement in a trench in a site cleared of flammable material for a radius of 3 metres.
Fire equipment – All buildings in or near the forest must be equipped with at least one round shovel, one axe, one pick and one pail.
Fuel storage – Gasoline, coal oil, heating oil, propane, and any other flammable fuel must be kept stored outside the cottage in air-tight containers.
Surrounding area – To prevent the spread of fire, the area around a building must be cleared of dry or dead vegetation for a distance equal to the longest dimension of the building. The minimum distance is 6 metres.
Smoking in the forest – If you smoke, stop, sit down, smoke, extinguish the cigarette and continue.
Burning
Municipal by-law 96-300 allows burning without a permit for family campfires (burning diameter of the fire pit must be less than 1 meter), BBQ’s and exterior fireplaces. To avoid hazardous smoke, burn clean, dry wood (not green). All other fires require a written permit authorized by the municipal fire service. All burning is forbidden during dry season when so advised by the Municipality.
Use the Dump – Not a Bonfire. Burning garbage, plastic, particleboard, plywood or any painted or treated wood material releases a toxic cloud that pollutes the environment and is extremely hazardous to humans, animals and the lake environment. Take these items to the Val des Monts dump in Perkins on ch. St. Antoine. (866-332-4112).
Bonfires & Campfires
Bonfires and campfires are allowed only in a site cleared to mineral soil or rock and must be watched at all times, with fire equipment on hand. Burning is subject to the requirements of any municipal burning by-law.
Do not have open fires in very dry weather, whether in the spring, summer or fall. Watch for notices in the local paper or at the grocery store (e.g., The Outpost) for forest fire conditions.
The islands are private property. Please don’t leave litter on them and please don’t light fires of any kind on the islands. However, some people, often adolescents, insist on having campfires on islands. Please instruct your teenagers of the fire risks. If there has been no rain in recent weeks, don’t have any fire at all. If there has been rain, bring your own wood as the islands are rapidly becoming denuded of trees and shrubs because people cut them to burn on a camp fire.
Before leaving a fire site, be sure the fire is out using numerous pails of water.
And most importantly, don’t throw combustibles into a fire. In 1999, a young person lost an eye and was lucky not to lose his life after a combustible item was thrown into a campfire on an island.
In another incident, the largest island on the lake would likely have burned completely but for the quick action of several cottagers who were able to put out a fire that started when a campfire was not properly extinguished with water. As a result, that campfire continued to burn underground, probably for several days, before it flared up above ground. We were lucky that those cottagers spotted the fire in time and were able to extinguish it.
La Pêche Burning Bylaw
The following are highlights of the La-Pêche burning bylaw:
It is strictly forbidden to burn anything within the limits of the municipality, with the following exceptions:
To clean a property between April 1 and May 30 for leaves, branches having less than one inch in diameter, raked leaves, with the condition that a barrel be used with exterior fireplace covered with a wire net.
For agricultural clearing, construction or industrial development, having obtained written permission from the Fire Service Director or his representative and respecting their recommendations. The burning must be out at sundown.
A community bonfire can be held with written permission from the Fire Services Director or his representative, as long as the fire is out completely afterwards.
Barbecues and outdoor fireplaces are allowed for cooking only.