Crane Lake Association

          The following articles and information

              are to help keep your Crane Lake

                   residence safe and secure.

The Township of The Archipelago is sponsoring a free Smoke Alarm program for residents of the TOA.  This program combines Fire Safety education with the opportunity to get free Smoke Alarms for your home or vacation property located within the Township.  Ontario Law requires that you have a working Smoke Alarm on every level of your home or vacation property, and also outside all sleeping areas.  If you have a Bunkie, there must also be a smoke alarm there.  You are also encouraged to have Fire Extinguishers located at every exit.  Further information about Fire Prevention and safety is available on the TOA website at http://www.thearchipelago.on.ca/ and click on the “Fire Prevention” link near the top of the page.  Specific information on Smoke Alarms is at

http://www.thearchipelago.on.ca/Fire%20Prevention%20Page/2008_Fire%20Prevention%20&%20Safety%20Program.pdf

You can pick up your free Smoke Alarm(s) at the Township office at 9 James Street in Parry Sound.  If you have a cottage on Crane Lake, you can contact Bruce Sanderson at 378-1927, or by e-mail at bsanderson@rogers.com.  Bruce is a member of the Crane Lake Association Fire Committee and maintains a small supply of the TOA Smoke Alarms at his cottage.  In order for the Township to track the alarms given out, you will be required to provide your name and municipal address, along with the location you will be putting the alarm(s).

                             OUTDOOR BURNING

Have you ever wondered if it is ok to burn your pile of brush?  If so, you’re not alone.  Here are some common questions, along with answers.

Can we burn brush without a permit?   The answer is yes.  Years ago a permit was required for all burning, but that is no longer the case.  We can now burn tree limbs, brush, leaves, and discarded wood products without a permit if we follow the rules outlined below. 

There are two basic rules that apply to all open burning:

1.   Weather conditions must permit the burning to be done safely.  This is only common sense.  Avoid dry periods and windy days.  Check weather reports; an approaching storm could bring sudden high winds which could make a fire very dangerous.

2.   A person must always be present and in charge of the fire.

The rest of the rules apply during the “fire season” which is April 1 to October 31.

3.   The fire must be at least two metres from any flammable materials

4.   The person in charge must have tools and water adequate to contain the fire

5.   The fire must burn only from two hours before sunset to two hours after sunrise.  Read these times carefully.  Many people make the mistake of thinking that they should burn during the day.  But it is just the opposite–fires must be burned in the evening, night, and early morning.  This may sound strange, but nighttime is usually the dampest, coolest, and calmest time of the day.

6.   The material being burned must be in a single pile which is less than two metres in diameter and less than two metres high.  There are different rules for burning grass or leaves in large areas, but we haven’t included these here because they would be more likely to apply to farmers than to cottagers.

What about outdoor incinerators?  Do they have the same regulations?   There are separate regulations for incinerators, applicable during the fire season.

1.   The incinerator must be at least five metres from any forest.  It must also be at least two metres, from any flammable materials such as trees branches or buildings.  A greater distance would be even safer.

2.   The ground should be non-flammable for two metres around the incinerator.   This might be bedrock, mineral soil, or a concrete pad. 

3.   A person must always be present while the fire is burning.

      Incinerators can be used any time of day.

So, can I construct a home-made incinerator?   Yes, we certainly can construct a home-made incinerator.  The easiest way is to use a metal barrel or drum.  Cover the drum with wire mesh–it must have a mesh size of no more than 5 mm.  That’s about 1/5th of an inch.  Then weight the cover with a brick or rock.  That’s all it takes.  But you can make your fire burn better if you punch a number of air holes a couple of inches from the bottom.  It also helps to support the burning material above the bottom of the drum.  You might punch a few more holes above the air holes and insert steel pipe to support the material to be burned. 

What about camp fires?    There are less stringent rules for fires for cooking or heating.  They  must be on non-combustible material, such as bare rock, and must be at least one metre from any flammable material.  Also, the camp fire must not exceed one metre in diameter or height. 

Can we have a camp fire during a fire ban?   As you might expect, all of the above conditions are suspended if a fire ban is issued.  There can be no open burning, thus no camp fires.  Fire bans will be communicated on the radio and signs will be posted on roads.  Also, the Crane Lake Fire Committee has asked the MNR for signs which we can post right on our lake.

This raises one last question.  Can we still use grills during a total fire ban?   The answer is yes.  It is ok to use a propane grill, charcoal grill, or portable camp stove during a total fire ban.  It must be one metre from any naturally occurring flammable material.  Of course, great caution is critical when the fire danger is considered “extreme.”

You should be aware that regulations can always be changed, so it certainly is possible that this summary could become out-of-date. 

Escape from Fire 

 As more of us are now enjoying our cottages in the winter as well as the summer, the threat of a chimney fire is all the more present.  Some chimney fires may burn themselves out quickly, but others could burn down our cottage.  So chimney fires definitely should be taken seriously.
 
What is a chimney fire?  No, the steel stove pipe or the fire brick does not burn.  But the creosote which has collected inside the chimney definitely will burn.  Creosote is black or brown in color and is crusty or tar-like in appearance.  Flames coming from a chimney are a sure sign of a chimney fire.  Chimney fires can also be heard.  Fast-burning chimney fires will make a low rumbling noise that sounds like a passing freight train. 
 
If you have a chimney fire, you can best extinguish it by removing its source of oxygen.  Immediately close the flue and fireplace doors if you have them.  A standard dry chemical ABC fire extinguisher can be used.  Do your best to aim the spray up the chimney.  The draft from the fire will tend to pull the chemical up the chimney.  If you have a larger fireplace with a clean-out flue, this is a good place to use the extinguisher.  Be sure to close fireplace doors as soon as you have emptied the extinguisher.
 
As a last resort, baking soda can be thrown on the fire.  But you probably will not have enough to put out the fire.  Try to resist the impulse to throw water on the fire.  Water could wash burning embers out of the stove or fireplace and cause another fire.  And the application of water can crack castings or hot flue tiles making matters even worse.
 
There are commercially made products that can be thrown in a fireplace to extinguish a chimney fire.  Some come in a cylinder the size of a road flare.  I was unable to find any of these products in Parry Sound.  I have been told that these are not very effective.  A standard ABC fire extinguisher would do the job much better, and every cottage should have at least one of these available. 
 
Once the chimney fire is out, be sure to carefully check the roof, eves with dried leaves, and the surrounding bush to insure that sparks have not started a smoldering fire. 
 
If you do have a chimney fire, you should call for the fireboat.  If you think that the chimney fire is out, and you just want the boat as a precaution without a lot of commotion, you can ask the committee member you contact not to blow the siren.  But, of course, if your chimney fire occurs in the winter as they often do, you will be on your own.  So the best thing to do is to prevent a chimney fire before it happens.
 
There are a number of things you can do to prevent a chimney fire.
 
Burn hard wood, such as maple, birch, oak, elm, or hickory.  Evergreens, such as hemlock, spruce, and pine, have resins in them that cause a lot of creosote build-up when they are burned slowly.  But much more important than the hardness of the wood is the dryness of the wood.  Seasoned wood will produce much less creosote than greener wood
 
Keep your fire hot--above 225 degrees if you have a chimney thermometer.  A colder or smoldering fire causes resins to condense and cause creosote.  If, in the cold weather, you are keeping a wood stove burning all day, open the damper, stoke the fire, and burn a hot fire--at least 500 degrees--twice daily.  This helps avoid creosote buildup by burning off the small amount of daily accumulation.
 
Make sure your chimney is properly constructed.  A large fireplace chimney that serves a wood stove with a smaller flue requirement is especially vulnerable to creosote build-up.  To prevent this problem, you may want a chimney liner.  Also, a chimney that is inside a cottage is much less likely to develop creosote than an outside chimney.  Proper chimney design in accordance with building codes may not prevent the buildup of creosote, but certainly will help to prevent a chimney fire from igniting the rest of the cottage.
 
Don't create a fire which will send flames way up your chimney. Don't burn large quantities of loose paper, don't burn branches with leaves or needles, and don't use accelerants such as charcoal lighter to start your fire.
 
Inspect your chimney annually.  If you can't check it from the roof, you can use a mirror and flashlight to inspect it from the bottom.  If there is a creosote buildup, you should remove it by using a good stiff chimney brush which matches the size and shape of your flue.  These large steel or polypropylene brushes are available in most fireplace or hardware stores.  The brush should be raised and lowered with a rope from the top to knock down the creosote and soot.  If you don't have an airtight stove, be sure to tape a tarp or old sheet across the fireplace opening to avoid a real mess.   Although it is difficult, if you can remove the damper plate, the flue can be cleaned from below using long handle extensions which will reach the flue's full length.  While you are cleaning your chimney you should be looking for any signs of deterioration.  While good chimney design is beyond the scope of this article, any cracks or gaps that you see are an obvious point of concern.
 
To my knowledge we have never lost a cottage due to a chimney fire.  If we are all conscientious about good chimney maintenance, we hopefully will be able to keep our record in tact.