Understanding Fire Restrictions

It is looking like a dry summer is ahead as the United States Forest Service (USFS) is already issuing fire restrictions across the nation. When planning your summer camping trips always get the current restrictions and closures for the area you plan to visit by contacting the land manager for that area.

Just because there are fire restrictions does not mean you can’t go camping, it all depend on the stage of the restriction. Fire restrictions are issued in three stages. The following outlines those stages according to the USFS:

Stage I

The first stage occurs when there is an increasing fire danger and/or a increasing preparedness level, and the risks of keeping the forest open to all activities begins to be outweighed by the risks inherent in doing so. Stage I imposes relatively minor restrictions aimed at preventing the start of wildfires based on human activities that are known to be high risk, specifically smoking and campfires.

Prohibited Activities:

• Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire except within a developed recreation site, or improved site.
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
• Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark-arresting device properly installed, maintained, and in effective working order meeting either the USDA Forest Service Standard, or appropriate Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended practice.

Allowable Activities:

• Fires within liquid-fueled or gas-fueled stoves, fireplaces within buildings, charcoal grill fires within developed residential or commercial areas, and fires within wood burning stoves.
• Tiki torches, small recreational fires at developed picnic or campground sites contained in permanent fire pits or fire grates with flame lengths not in excess of four feet and which are supervised by a responsible person at least 21 years of age.

Stage II

As the risks increase, the line officer may chose to move to Stage II. This stage intensifies the restrictions from Stage I by focusing on activities that, although normally managed under permit or contract, have a relatively high risk of causing a fire start.

Restrictions under Stage II will affect forest users and will have economic impacts to contractors, permittees, and others. Therefore, the decision to move to Stage II will involve a risk/benefit assessment, as well as consideration of economic and social impacts.

Prohibited Activities:

• Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire.
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building.
• Possessing, discharging, or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device.
• Using an explosive.
• Operating a chainsaw or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine between 1:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
• Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order.
• Welding, or operating an acetylene or other torch with open flame.
• Possess or use a motor vehicle off: Forest System Roads Except when parking in an area devoid of vegetation within 10 feet of the roadway; and except for parking overnight in developed campgrounds and at trailheads.

Allowable Activities:

• Cooking on gas or liquid fueled stoves or grills.
• Persons with a written fire entry and activity permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act.
• Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice.
• Any federal, state, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty.
• Resident owners and private lessees of land within the restricted area exempt from restriction 1 above, provided such fires are within a residence.

Stage III

Stage III is closure. This stage is selected when there are very high risks and the ability to manage those risks using Stage I or II restrictions is no longer viable. The social, economic, and political impacts of implementing a closure at this point are outweighed by the benefits associated with virtually eliminating the potential for human-caused fire starts.

The area is closed to all entry other than as follows:

• Persons with a written fire entry and activity permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act. This may include such persons as grazing-permit holders when entry is needed to gather, move, or otherwise manage their permitted livestock, special-use authorization holders when access is needed to maintain emergency or other communications operations, and others.
• Any federal, state, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty.
• Resident owners and lessees of land within the closed area.

Violations of these fire restrictions is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor, by a fine of not more than $5000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months or both.

References: Explanation of Fire Restrictions