Golden Shovel Issue#4 - April 2021 - Kris Liivam - Wildland Fire Risks for Placer Mining Operations in B.C.

​Kris Liivam
When setting up your claim it can be easy to get distracted by the beauty of the wilderness you surround yourself in, but that same wilderness can change into an inferno in an instant if the conditions are right. When you are setting up your spread, you need to have certain precautions in place to make your operation resilient to wildfire.
In British Columbia, the Wildfire Act and Regulations are the governing legislation you need to be aware of. It specifies the requirements you need to adhere to in order to prevent a fire. This includes having dedicated fire watches, fire fighting equipment, communications, burn permits, set backs from tree lines, response requirements, and many other aspects which are intended to protect you and the forest. As well, BC Worksafe requires anyone who may have to fight a wildfire to have S-100 basic wildfire training which is a 2 day course (and they read that as anyone who is within 300 meters of grasslands or forests).
It does not take much to cause a wildfire. The Elephant Hill Fire of 2017 was determined to have been caused by Wildland Fire Risks for Placer Mining Operations in B.C. a cigarette butt tossed from a vehicle. Hot brakes, trailer chains striking rocks, and muffler on your vehicles and ATV’s can easily ignite dry grass. However, unattended fires are still one of the most avoidable but most common causes of forest fires. The BC Government is quite unforgiving when it comes to those who cause wildfires. BC Conservation Enforcement went after a small logging contractor for a fire he caused at a total cost of $15.7 Million, as they will recover the cost of fire fighting, lost stumpage fees, and issue an administrative fine of up to $1 Million, for good measure.
When it comes to wildfire risk, one of the major misconceptions is that it is the great wall of fire which will cause all the damage. In reality, if you have 30 meters of clearing between your assets and the tree line, you likely will not have much more than superficial damage. The real danger comes from the embers which fly ahead of the fire. These embers will land in fuels that are susceptible to fire, like patio furniture, dried grass and leaves, and fire wood. Knowing this you can now make your property much more resilient to the threat by simply adding a few basic fire tools, researching FireSmart, and downloading the provincial wildfire app.
​The Waterax Mark 3 is the work horse of the wildfire community, and when coupled with 1 ½” forestry quick connect hose, water thieves, plastic Wyes, lay flat garden hose, and lawn sprinklers you have the makings of a fire protection system that will protect your investment. All, you need to do is fire it up and walk away. As well, you should have enough hand tools so everyone has one in case your operations cause a fire. This includes water back pack fire pumps, shovels, Pulaskis, hoes, and a chainsaw. If you have a creeping fire approaching, you can create a simple fire break by clearing 2x the size of the flame and dig deep enough to get past the topsoil and tossing dirt on top of the small flames. If the fire is coming at you higher than your waist and you do not have heavy equipment you are best off evacuating. Insurance will cover your investment, but it is not worth your life. 

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