MDC encourages people to help prevent wildfires

MDC Forester Sam Jewett stands on the bulldozer he uses to fight wildfires.

Low humidity and dry conditions can create environment favorable to wildfires.

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Forestry Division reminds people that a combination of low humidity and dry conditions this time of year can create an environment favorable to dangerous wildfires. Each year, MDC staff work with fire departments around the state to help suppress thousands of wildfires that can consume tens-of-thousands of acres.

According to MDC’s Forestry Division, the main cause of wildfires is improper burning of debris such as trash and brush piles. The Department urges landowners, hunters, campers, and others in the outdoors to help prevent wildfires and offers the following tips.  

Outdoor Burning 

• Do not conduct outdoor burning during times when grasses, brush and other fire fuel are very dry, humidity is low and weather is windy. 
• Dry fuel combined with high temperatures, low humidity and high winds make fire nearly impossible to control. 
• Check with local fire departments regarding burn bans and local ordinances.
• A person who starts a fire for any reason is responsible for any damage it may cause.
• For more information on using prescribed fire as a land-management tool, visitwww.mdc.mo.gov and search “Prescribed Fire.”

Driving Off Road

• Wildfires can start when fine, dry fuel such as grass comes in contact with catalytic converters on motor vehicles.
• Think twice before driving into and across a grassy field.
• Never park over tall, dry grass or piles of leaves that can touch the underside of a vehicle.
• When driving vehicles off road, regularly inspect the undercarriage to ensure that fuel and brake lines are intact and no oil leaks are apparent.
• Always carry an approved fire extinguisher on vehicles that are used off road.
• Check for the presence of spark arresters on ATV exhausts.

Making a Campfire

• Clear a generous zone around fire rings. When humidity is low and wind is high, debris can become tinder for a stray spark or ember.
• Store unused firewood a good distance from the fire.
• Never use gasoline, kerosene or other flammable liquid to start a fire.
• Keep campfires small and controllable.
• Keep fire-extinguishing materials, such as a rake, shovel and bucket of water, close by.
• Never leave a campfire unattended! Extinguish campfires each night and before leaving camp, even for a few moments.

Smokers: Practice Extra Caution

• Extinguish cigarettes completely and safely and dispose of butts responsibly.

Don't Delay Calling for Help!

• Call 911 at the first sign of a fire getting out of control.

Report Forest Arson

• Many wildfires are set by vandals.
• Help stop arson by calling Operation Forest Arson at 800-392-1111. Callers will remain anonymous and rewards are possible.

DID YOU KNOW: In cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, MDC provided more than $367,000 in grants to 186 volunteer fire departments last year for protective clothing, equipment, and training. The Department also obtained more than $5 million in equipment from federal government programs for volunteer fire departments in the state, and provided wildland fire-suppression training to more than 250 Missouri firefighters.

For more information on preventing wildfires, go online to mdc.mo.gov/your-property/fire/wildfire-prevention.

Incident Management Team To Help Manage Mark Twain National Forest Wildfires

Rolla, MO– USDA Forest Service’s Eastern Area Type 2 Incident Management Team has been brought in to assist managing Mark Twain National Forest wildfires. The incident management team is composed of experienced federal, state, and local fire and emergency response personnel from 20 states in Forest Service’s Eastern Region, which stretches from Missouri north to the Great Lakes states east to Delaware and up to Maine. Mark Twain National Forest experiences on average 5,000 to 6,000 acres of wildfires annually, mostly in fall and late winter/early spring. This year, however, severe drought has created extreme fire conditions on the forest and across Missouri. Given current fire conditions, predicted hot and dry weather in the days ahead, and no precipitation in the forecast, additional resources, including the incident management team, were ordered.  The team will assist Mark Twain National Forest, as needed, during this high fire danger period, ensuring that firefighting resources are managed effectively, and timely and accurate information is provided.

Missouri wildfire worries widen as heat wave continues

Fire concerns in Missouri widened Friday as crews battled a blaze of several hundred acres in the Mark Twain National Forest.

Officials hoping to prevent more fires amid soaring temperatures and a lack of rain barred campfires on thousands of acres of public land heading into the Fourth of July holiday.

READ MORE

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/29/3683762/missouri-wildfire-worries-widen.html#storylink=cpy

MDC issues immediate FIRE BAN on all conservation areas

Extreme dry conditions increase threat of wildfire so prevention is critical. JEFFERSON CITY Mo – Effective immediately, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has issued a FIRE BAN on all conservation areas. The fire ban includes prohibiting campfires and other open fires, including charcoal grills. The fire ban does permit the use of contained camp stoves and charcoal cooking fires in concrete or metal fire rings. The use of firewood in cooking fires is prohibited under the fire ban.
 The use of fireworks is already prohibited on conservation areas under the Wildlife Code of Missouri. “The fire ban is an effort to prevent wildfires under these extreme dry conditions,” said MDC Wildland Fire Supervisor Ben Webster. “The fire ban on all conservation areas will stay in effect until weather conditions change and we get significant rain.” The U.S Forest Service and numerous counties and communities have also issued fire bans. 
 

Webster also urges people to use caution when driving off road.

“Wildfires can start when fine, dry fuel, such as grass, comes in contact with catalytic converters on motor vehicles,” he explained.  “Think twice before driving into and across a grassy field. Never park over tall, dry grass or piles of leaves that can touch the underside of a vehicle. When driving vehicles off road, regularly inspect the undercarriage to ensure that fuel and brake lines are intact and no oil leaks are apparent. Always carry an approved fire extinguisher on vehicles that are used off road. Check for the presence of spark arresters on ATV exhausts.”

He urges smokers to practice extra caution. “Extinguish cigarettes completely and safely,” he said. “And dispose of butts responsibly.”

Webster added that people should call 911 at the first sign of any fire getting out of control, and should call Operation Forest Arson at 800-392-1111 if they see or suspect possible arson. Callers will remain anonymous and rewards are possible.