Yesterday, RCVFD responded to a grass fire that was caused by a slash pile from over the weekend being re-ignited by the high winds. This email is not to slap anyone's hands, but to help avoid this happening in the future.

The coals and ashes from burnt slash get protected by the snow and can remain hot in pockets of the pile for several days. When we have technically enough snow to burn, but the forecast is for rapid warming and increased winds over the next few days, it may not be as good a slash-burning day as it seems. Additionally, snow does not extinguish coals as well as liquid water does, because of its lower moisture density. Liquid water penetrates mostly-burned material much more effectively than snow, which tends to go straight from snow to steam without having as much effect on the combusting material.

It has been a tough winter for forest management, and we certainly understand jumping at the first chance to burn slash. But following a few common-sense guidelines beyond the county's regulations can help avoid a dangerous re-ignition:

• Firstly, follow all the rules and regulations set down by the county.


• Don't just look at today's forecast. Look ahead a few days. Is it going to get warm, sunny, and windy? What is today's Winter Wonderland going to look like in a few days?


• Make sure that pile is out cold and dead before you call it quits for the day. RCVFD does a thing called "cold-trailing" which involves inserting our bare hands into the ashes to make sure nothing is hot - obviously do this with caution! - you might be surprised how hot those ashes still are when you think you're "all set".


• Consider using more than just snow to extinguish your pile. If you can reach it with a garden hose - and if the hose won't freeze - that's great. But a few 5-gallon buckets of water help a lot, too. It might take several trips.


• Another thing that we do as a fire department is called a "24-hour check". When there is a small wildland fire, we come back the next day to make sure it is still completely out. Do that with your slash pile, too. Every morning on your way to work, kick the ashes around a bit to make sure they haven't started getting active again. Especially if it's windy like it is now.

Who knows if Mother Nature is going to give us another day to burn this year or not. But these are useful things to keep in mind next year and in the future so that our slash burning ends when we pack it in for the night.