Fire Permits and Fire Guardians

2024 Fire Permits

FEB 20 – OCTOBER 31, 2024

• If you live or work in the Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 and wish to conduct any burning, you must first obtain a permit from a Fire Guardian or should you live in the Alberta Forest Protection Area, from your Agriculture and Forestry Office.
• There is NO CHARGE for the permit.
• 48 HOURS’ NOTICE IS REQUIRED WHEN REQUESTING A FIRE PERMIT

Section 7 – Open Fires

7.1 Between March 01 and October 31 of each year or at any other time designated by Council resolution, no person shall operate a Burning Barrel or permit an Open Fire or any other fire upon land owned, occupied or under his or her control within the M.D., unless a permit has been obtained, the provisions outlined on the permit are complied with, and burnable debris is burned.

7.2 Notwithstanding Section

7.1 a permit shall not be required under this Bylaw to conduct:

a) the cooking of food using a portable appliance; or

b) recreational burning or the cooking of food in Acceptable Fire Pits or Acceptable Fireplaces, provided:

i. only clean fuel is used such as natural gas, dry wood or charcoal in amounts which will be contained within the fire pit or fireplace below the mesh screen;

ii. the fire pit or fireplace is not used to burn prohibited debris;

iii. a means, acceptable to the Fire Chief, of controlling or extinguishing the fire is available on the property and within reasonable distance from where the fire occurs; and

iv. a responsible adult is present on the property when the fire is burning; or

c) burning in fireplaces in or attached to dwellings as provided by legislation; or

d) the fire is a public park site fire in M.D. owned campgrounds and parks where fireplaces, stoves and fire pits are provided by or approved by the M.D.; or

e) burning in an incinerator for which a permit to construct and licence to operate has been issued pursuant to the applicable legislation; or

f) the fire has been set by Fire Services for the purpose of training; or

g) the fire has been otherwise authorized by the Fire Authority.

7.5 No person shall set, permit, maintain or operate an open fire or burning barrel at any time of the year within one hundred (100) metres of a trestle or bridge structure located on the Alberta’s Iron Horse Trail. The person who set, permitted or maintained such an Open Fire or burn barrel shall extinguish the fire immediately upon the order of a Peace Officer, Fire Guardian, the Regional Fire Chief or His designate. If the person who set, permitted or maintained such an open fire fails to comply with an order to extinguish, the fire services may extinguish the fire and recover the cost of extinguishment from the person in accordance with Section 10 of this bylaw.

7.6 No person shall set, permit, maintain or operate an open fire for the purpose of land clearing at any time of the year within a Multi-Lot Country Residential Subdivision that has occupied dwelling units located within the subdivision or an adjacent subdivision within 1200m. The person who set, permitted or maintained such an Open Fire shall extinguish the fire immediately upon the order of a Peace Officer, Fire Guardian, the Regional Fire Chief or his designate. If the person who set, permitted or maintained such an open fire fails to comply with an order to extinguish, the fire services may extinguish the fire and recover the cost of extinguishment from the person in accordance with Section 10 of this bylaw.

Section 8 – Procedure to Obtain Open Fire Permit

8.1 Any person wishing to obtain an Open Fire Permit for any area within the M.D. excepting a Forest Protection Area, must apply to a Fire Guardian appointed by the M.D. at a location or locations and during a time period to be determined by the M.D. from time to time.

8.2 Each application for an Open Fire Permit must be on the form required by the Forest and Prairie Protection Act as determined from time to time or approved by the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority.

Each application and Open Fire Permit shall contain the following information:

1. the name, address and telephone number, if applicable, of the applicant,

2. the reason an Open Fire Permit is required,

3. the legal description of the land upon which the fire will be set and the exact location of the fire on those lands including the municipal address where applicable,

4. the type of combustible material which will be burned,

5. any precautions which will be taken by the applicant to maintain control of the fire,

6. the time for which the Open Fire Permit will remain valid,

7. the signature of the applicant and the issuing Fire Guardian.

8.3 A Fire Guardian may, in his sole discretion, terminate or suspend an Open Fire Permit or application at any time.

8.4 Upon request for a permit, Fire Guardian shall consider the permit application, and may in his sole discretion:

a) refuse to grant a permit;

b) grant a permit with or without terms and conditions as deemed appropriate; or

c) determine that a permit is not required.

8.5 The permit fee shall be as set out in Schedule “B” and shall be paid upon approval of the permit application. (Currently Open Fire permits are Free within the M.D.)

8.6 A permit shall not be transferable.

8.7 Permits issued pursuant to this Bylaw are valid for such period of time as shall be determined and set by the Fire Guardian and the Open Fire Permit shall have endorsed thereon the period of time for which the said permit is valid.

8.8 The Fire Guardian may extend in writing the period of time that an Open Air Fire Permit is valid provided the Fire Permit has not expired.

Burnable debris as defined in the M.D. Bylaw and Alberta Environmental Legislation.

Burnable Debris” means those materials permitted to be burned in accordance with statutes and bylaws written to protect and enhance the environment, and shall include but are not limited to materials described as:

i. straw and stubble;

ii. grass and weeds;

iii. leaves and tree prunings;

iv. brush and fallen trees on newly cleared land or associated logging operations;

v. used power, telegraph and telephone poles that do not contain preservatives;

vi. wood material from the construction or demolition of buildings which does not contain wood preservatives;

vii. solid waste from sawmills or planning mills with an annual production of less than 6500 cubic metres of lumber;

viii. solid waste from post and pole operations that does not contain wood preservatives or;

ix. solid waste from tree harvesting operations.

“Prohibited Debris” means any material that when burned, will result in the release to the atmosphere of dense smoke or toxic air contaminants in accordance with statutes and bylaws written to protect and enhance the environment, and shall include but are not limited to materials described as:

i. animal cadavers;

ii. animal manure;

iii. chemicals and chemical containers;

iv. combustible material in automobile bodies;

v. combustible material in automobiles;

vi. non-wooden material;

vii. paints and painting materials;

viii. pathological waste;

ix. rubber or plastic, or anything containing or coated with rubber or plastic or similar substances, except rubber or plastic attached to shredded scrap steel;

x. solid waste from sawmills or planing mills with an annual production in excess of 6500 cubic metres of lumber;

xi. tires;

xii. toxic substances;

xiii. used oil; or

xiv. wood or wood products containing substances for the purposes of preserving wood.