RAVALLI COUNTY, Mont. – Stage 2 fire restrictions have been approved for private and county managed lands by the Ravalli County Commissioners, starting Friday, August 7, county officials announced on Tuesday.
“This action was taken in response to the record setting temperatures and dry fuel conditions throughout the region, as well as to align restrictions with neighboring jurisdictions in the Missoula Restrictions Area,” county officials stated. “Fire restrictions are intended to decrease the chance of preventable, human-caused fires.”
According to Ravalli County’s information regarding Stage 2 fire restrictions, the following acts are prohibited:
- Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire
- Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material
- The use of fireworks
- Operating motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails
The following acts are prohibited from 1:00 pm to 1:00 am:
- Operating a chainsaw or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine for felling, bucking, skidding, or firewood gathering
- Outdoor welding or operating acetylene or other type torch with open flame
- Using any explosive
- A one-hour patrol in the work area is required following the cessation of all activities as identified in #1 - #3 above
The following exemptions to the restriction are permitted on private and county managed lands in Ravalli County:
- Persons with written authorization from the Ravalli County Commissioners that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act
- Persons using a cooking device fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off, or, within the confines of residential use, a commercial barbeque that utilizes charcoal briquettes
- Operating generators with an approved spark arresting device within an enclosed vehicle or building or in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within three feet of the generator
- Operating motorized vehicles on designated roads and trails
- Repair, maintenance and construction of infrastructure, public utilities and railroads
- Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice
- Any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force, in the performance of an official duty
- All land within a city boundary is exempted
- Agricultural activity (other than open burning) unrelated to forest harvest if fire extinguisher or fire suppression equipment is immediately available
- Residential and commercial lawn and grounds maintenance
- Construction site activities on private lands, including construction of roads, utilities, and residential or commercial structures, if:
- Fire extinguisher or fire suppression equipment is immediately available
- Operations of private businesses to the extent that this resolution compels the private business to deny a customer of the private business access to the premises or access to goods or services, or denies a customer of a private business the ability to access goods or services provided by the private business, subject to 7-5-121 (2) MCA.
More information can be found on the county’s website.