The 2019 fire season officially began Tuesday, June 11th at 12:01am on all lands that are protected by the Douglas Forest Protective Association. The declaration of fire season imposes certain fire restrictions on both the general public and industrial operators to help prevent wildfires.
With the declaration of fire season, the use of exploding targets and tracer ammunition are prohibited within the Douglas district. In addition, the use of sky lanterns are prohibited year-round in Oregon. Public use restrictions are not yet in effect, meaning there are no time restrictions yet on lawn mowing, power saws and weed eaters. This will change as the fire danger increases.
The start of fire season also means the end of unregulated outside debris burning for rural Douglas County residents. Fire officials recommend checking any debris piles that were burned earlier this spring. If not properly extinguished, burn piles have the potential of smoldering for weeks, or even months, before popping back to life on a warm, windy day.
The declaration of fire season also means the start of industrial fire regulations. On Tuesday, the entire Douglas District will go into Industrial Fire Precaution Level I (one). During IFPL I, smoking is prohibited while working on, or traveling through, and industrial operation. In addition, specified fire tools and suppression equipment must be on site and ready for use at all industrial operations taking place within the Douglas district. A fire watch is also required once work has completed for the day.