Please respect social distancing and be prepared for longer wait times, dependent on participation. We are also going to ask you to bring a pen and sign in, as we are going to track this as a FireSmart activity for our community.
We will revert back to the 10:00 am to 12:00 noon schedule. Balance of dates for the year will be:
May 2
May 9
May 16
May 23
May 30
June 13
June 27
July 11
July 25
Aug 8
Aug 22
Sept 5
Sept 19
We are encouraging residents to follow the schedule so we can track loads, keep the pit secure and reduce the amount of time required from our members. Any questions can be sent to anarchistmountainfiresmart@gmail.com
We would also like to thank Chris Kayes for cleaning up the pit for us.
REMINDER: The following activities are currently prohibited in BC: Category 2 open fires; Category 3 open fires; Resource Management Open Fires; the use of fireworks; the use of sky lanterns; and the use of burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description (except when used for a campfire no larger than 0.5 metres wide by 0.5 metres high).
Campfires can only be used for recreation, cooking or warming, or used by a First Nation for ceremonial purposes.
With social distancing we’ve had to resort to our community website and Facebook to get our message out there versus a live FireSmart Day. With the Spring weather upon us and most people at home, preparing our homes and property for wildfire is very important.
People living in forested areas need to be aware of the wildfire threat and ways they take action to make their home and community become “FireSmart.”
First we would like to share an educational course from FireSmart Canada. This 45 minute presentation is titled FireSmart 101.
We can also follow up on any questions you have. THIS INFORMATION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US, WE NEED TO TABULATE INVOLVEMENT TO HELP MAINTAIN OUR FireSmart RECOGNITION for 2020.
We hope to have the Wapiti Pit opened by the end of April. If you are interested in the FireSmart rental equipment you can visit the attached link:
Secondly, the following document explains the capabilities of the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department during various wildfire scenarios. Any questions of the Fire Department can be addressed on the following link.
There have been lots of inquiries into the status of the Wapiti Pit and if we plan on opening it early this year. With the open burning ban and the majority of people home FIreSmarting their properties we understand the need to get the pit open as soon as possible. We are hoping to have the pit open by the beginning of May, weather dependent. As you can see in the following pictures, sections of the access road are still snow covered. With the warm weather we have had the past week and the strong winds, the snow should be gone in a few more days, so we will advise everyone when we decide to open Wapiti Pit. Also, check the website regularly for updates, in case you do not receive the Newsletters we send out.
In the meantime, please keep brush piles small and away from your home and outbuildings as we are in wildfire season. Any questions can be address to anarchistmountainfiresmart@gmail.com
FireSmart is your complete resource for keeping your home, neighbourhood and community prepared for wildfires. As fires have increased in B.C. in the past decade, the need for preventative measures has never been greater. The following document “Wildfire Preparedness Ready, Set, Go!” will help get you prepared for the following wildfire season.
If you have any questions or comments, please fill out the form below and someone from the FireSmart committee will get back to you
The test for this year of both systems has been successful! Well done Leads on your efforts in ensuring up to date information in both systems, Automated and Phone Trees!
Now for the results:
Automated SystemResults: compared to previous tests:
28 March 2020: 59% live answers; 32% voice mail and 9% no answer
30 March 2019: 47.1% live answers; 42.2% voice mail and 10.5% no answer
14 April 2018: 50.9% live answers; 39.6% voice mail and 9.3% no answer
22 April 2017: 50% live answers; 41.3% voice mail and 7.7% no answer
30 April 2016: 47.7% live answers; 43% voice mail and 8.5% no answer
11 April 2015: 48.5% live answers; 43% voice mail and 8.2% no answer
20 Sept 2014: 43% live answers; 48% voice mail and 9% no answer
Please rememberEmails have always lagged to individuals as we use a phone based system. However, this year we found emails were delayed or not completed at all due to the increased global bandwidth usage being higher than usual during this COVID19 pandemic.
We are seeing that the automated system is a great start for notification as it does contact the majority of people, either live or voice mail – 91% for this year
Phone Tree Results:
All areas reported that people notified the next people on the phone tree or left a message and phoned the next person down the line until a live person was reached. The end result was all phone trees were completed. We do not have formal feedback reports, as with the automated system, yet leads provide feedback to the Emergency Notification and Communication Team (ENCom) and it was very apparent that everyone has been self isolating this year due to the COVID19 virus – THANK YOU TO ALL!! Although this year is an anomality, below is the comparison of percentages notified to previous years.
Safer Turning on Highway 3 Coming to Anarchist Mountain Developments
Thanks to a government pilot project, motorists turning from Highway 3 into their respective OMEI and Regal Ridge developments, will be much safer. The pilot project involves installing a single, portable traffic circle, which will be resident at each development intersection, for a period of time. After that period of time, it will be moved to the next development intersection.
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure received many complaints over the last few years, on how dangerous it is to make these turns in a safe manner, especially during tourist season. The idea behind the pilot project is to lay down a temporary traffic circle, with ample signage, and monitor the traffic flows, as the circle is moved to and from each developmental intersection, to see if more portable circles can be introduced over the upcoming years. It is anticipated, the circle will be moved every 8-10 days, weather permitting.
Spokesperson Blaire Trevena* explained the challenges with this idea. “The primary challenge is the trucking industry” Trevena says. Normally, portable traffic circles cannot accommodate the turning radius of some of the larger trucks. Trevena explains that all traffic, with the exception of trucks with 53ft and larger trailers, must reduce their speed to 30 Km/h to negotiate the traffic circle. However, large trucks will remain unimpeded for their speed, as they will have a special right of way lane that cuts through the traffic circle.
When asked if the Trucking right of way lane, was itself introducing a hazard, Trevena replied that in their studies, this had shown to be an extra incentive to be superfluously careful in the traffic circle.
The first location of the traffic circle will be at the Bullmoose development intersection. There seems to be an extraordinary amount of close calls on this section of highway. Trevena brushed the notion aside that there are a high concentration of AMCS volunteer fire people that live in that area, and assures the public that these volunteers are every bit as good of drivers as normal people.
One person was contacted to get their reaction to the portable traffic circle. Overall, they like the idea, but expressed concern that the portable traffic circle does not accommodate a pedestrian crosswalk,nor does it address the very serious situation of bike traffic. When asked about this, Trevena admitted these were valid concerns, and noted them for further study.
For more information and feedback, please go to the following link
*Alias name as allowed under British Columbia’s ISP (Information Spokesperson Protection) act that protects information givers from mis-information or misgivings of mis-information from the general public who in turn may misinterpret any misinformation that is, or was unintentionally miscommunicated.
The Town of Osoyoos has information on its website relating to the Pandemic. Check this page regularly for ongoing updates on the Coronavirus situation as it relates to Town of Osoyoos facilities, programs, services and events. The page is located HERE
