‘It’s not ordinary littering’: Vancouver Fire warns against careless cigarette disposal

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – With a lack of rain and conditions that are approaching tinder dry, some local fire crews say they are seeing an “escalating number” of brush and grass fires.

“Kind of like we do every year around this time,” explains Vancouver Fire Captain Jonathan Gormick. “Fortunately the dry weather hasn’t been hot enough to really get us into the really dangerous situations that we’ve seen in previous summers, but if this continues, it’s really only a matter of time until we get that tinder-dry underbrush and vegetation that’s so prone to catching fire from any source of ignition.”

He says both a lack of precipitation and temperatures play are a factor that have kept Vancouver from getting to extreme fire hazard conditions, so far.

Gormick says one great way to avoid sparking a fire is to not throw your lit cigarette butt out the window.

“During the summer, I would say virtually all brush fires that we attend are caused by discarded smoking materials, whether they’re tossed out of a car window, whether they’re tossed into a planter, or just errantly discarded,” he explains. “And last year, the city amended the fire by-law to include a new fine that’s $500 for improper disposal of smoking materials that can lead to a hazardous situation.”

With designated recepticals around the city, he says there’s no excuse to flick your smoke. While there is the new fine in place, Gormick admits it’s tough to catch the person in the act.

“Which is the real trick, of course, with smoking material that’s discarded from a vehicle at a stop light. So often by the time we get there, it’s already happened and the person who threw it away is long gone.”

Gormick says, however, the goal isn’t to hand out fines — it’s about changing behaviour. “And have a fine that reflects the level of hazard to do with tossing lit smoking material. It’s not ordinary littering. There’s a huge degree of danger and it would only be a matter of time before a fire started by discarded smoking material catches a structure on fire and causes a loss of life.”

He adds these kinds of fires are preventable, and resources are already a little bit taxed. He recommends either keeping a non-combustible receptical in your car or using a trash can — after making sure your smoke is completely put out. “Just not out the window.”

Vancouver Fire is also reminding you smoking and any fires — like a bonfire — have always been illegal in parks and on beaches.

“So that’s always been fine-able, but now anywhere in public if you toss a lit cigarette butt or anything like that, any kind of lit smoking material, you’re now susceptible to that $500 fine,” Gormick says.

He believes this is a group effort, and admits it can’t be solely up to police or fire crews enforce this kind of behaviour.

The fire danger ratings around parks in Metro Vancouver is currently moderate.