The City of Kamloops says it is prepared to allow nature parks and trails to remain open at this time, despite the extreme fire danger rating that has been issued for Kamloops Fire Centre.
Kamloops Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Ryan Cail told City Council Tuesday that decision to keep the parks open was not an easy one.
“With the cold front that is coming, and persistent cool trend following that as well as the resources that are available from BC Wildfire that are actually deployed in our fire centre, we could have an exuberant amount of apparatus here at our assistance at a moments notice, if needed,” Cail said.
“After consultation with fellow staff, everybody we talked to today, the decision was not close parks. It wasn’t an easy decision.”
Nature parks and trails were closed ahead of the BC Day long weekend on August 4, though it reopened one week later after some rain and cooler temperatures.
Cail says users of parks and nature trails in Kamloops should be extremely careful, and report any fires they see, owing to the dry conditions that persist.
If you see a fire within Kamloops city limits, dial 911 to report it. For fires outside of city limits, dial either 911 or *5555 from a cell phone.
When reporting, the City says the following information is key to first responders:
- exact location and size (the size of a campfire, a car, a house, a football field, etc.)
- colour, density, and volume of smoke (white, gray, brown, black, etc.)
- wind speed and direction (which way the smoke blowing)
- type of vegetation and spacing (in trees, grass, etc.)
- terrain (steep, flat, etc.)
- valuables at risk (near homes, structures, etc.)
- access (near a main road or on a trail, street names, etc.)
- resources currently in use (someone already fighting the fire and with what)