A wildfire sparking in Metro Vancouver is one of the biggest concerns for local officials as they prepare for the summer ahead.
It’s been “dryer than normal,” said Port Moody Fire Chief Ron Coulson.
“We’re concerned that our wildland urban interface and the fuel that’s there, is going to be a concern for us moving into summer months.”
A burning ban has been in place for burning outdoor materials in most of Metro Vancouver since 2017. But issues such as people having open fires, and lighting cigarettes continues to be a problem for the region.
There are ways to stay ahead and protect your home from potential fire. Coulson suggested residents “cut back any overhanging trees, that they clean gutters regularly, that they blow any needles off their roof.”
To deal with smokers in parks, the City of Coquitlam is hiring two new bylaw officers.
They will be “dedicated specifically to patrolling in our parks, patrolling those trails, the river front, those locations where people will light a fire or without thinking light up a cigarette,” said Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart.
The city currently has nine bylaw officers, two supervisors and five auxiliary staffers made up of casual workers. These two new hires would be employed for six months of the year during the fire season.
According to city staff in the last two years, bylaw officers have issued four tickets for smoking in parks. They added the two new officers would take on more of a communication and education focus.
The fine for being caught smoking in a park most of the year is $150 but during the summer months, Stewart said, it goes up to $500.
“It’s an issue we want the public to understand, if you’re in a park enjoy the fresh air and nature.”
Metro Vancouver prepares for air quality
Meanwhile, Metro Vancouver officials held a briefing Tuesday morning to describe how they will be monitoring air quality throughout the fire season.
“We certainly don’t want to go into this predicted dryer than usual summer thinking that we’re going to see something different than we did those last few years,” said one of the presenters during the news conference.
According to data provided by Metro Vancouver during the news conference, it showed drought indicators are currently above seasonal averages.
- Check your region on Metro Vancouver's interactive air quality map
“The biggest concern form a health perspective for wildfire smoke is particulate matter,” said Emily Peterson with Vancouver Coastal Health.
Metro Vancouver officials said the amount of particulate matter increases 10 times when there’s wildfire smoke in the air.
On a typical summer day the amount of particulate matter, “would be on the order of 10 maybe at most 15 micrograms per cubic metre,” an official said. “What we’re seeing during wildfire smoke events is often 100 to 150 micrograms per cubic metre.”
“The biggest concern form a health perspective for wildfire smoke is particulate matter,” said Emily Peterson with Vancouver Coastal Health.
Metro Vancouver officials said the amount of particulate matter increases 10 times when there’s wildfire smoke in the air.
On a typical summer day the amount of particulate matter, “would be on the order of 10 maybe at most 15 micrograms per cubic metre,” an official said. “What we’re seeing during wildfire smoke events is often 100 to 150 micrograms per cubic metre.”
Wildfire smoke is also making ozone “quite unpredictable,” said Roger Quan, director of air quality and climate change for Metro Vancouver. He explained in some ways the haze can actually block some of the more harmful rays, leading to a lower ozone level than most summer days.
“The new challenge right now is wildfire smoke and it actually is complicating the old ozone issue and bringing it back in another way,” said Quan.
Over the last two years we’ve seen record setting fire seasons, and according to Metro Vancouver, air quality advisories increased dramatically.
