The Fire Danger Level in the Elk Creek Fire Protection District has been raised to High. Recreational Fires are still permitted in approved enclosures. However burn barrels and slash burns are prohibited.
Jefferson County is currently reviewing the Fire Conditions and will make a determination in the coming week on whether to impose a Stage 1 Fire Restriction. In the event a Stage 1 Fire Restriction is put in place, Recreational Fires will also be prohibited.
Please do your part to keep the number of human-caused wildfires to a minimum (heck, let's knock wildfires right out of the park for good!). Before you head out to a campsite, review some of the information below, and then visit the Association's website for the full list of "do's and don't's" you will want to follow. Once you're there, you also find campfire safety video clips and wildfire prevention information. For those of you living in other states, your state forestry website provides information about safe campfire practices and any additional, state-specific information you need to know regarding wildfire safety. And of course, our friend Smokey Bear
offers lots of great tips and advice for everyone, including kids.
How to keep your campfire from becoming a wildfire….
• Call before you go - Call your local forestry or fire district to learn if there are any current campfire restrictions. (For Jeffco:
http://elkcreekfire.org/
, for ParkCo:
http://www.parkco.us/
)
• Select the right spot - Maintained campgrounds with established fire pits provide the safest venue for campfires.
• Keep your campfire small
• Attend your campfire at all times
• NEVER use gasoline or other accelerants (flammable or combustible liquids) to start or increase your campfire.
• Always have water and fire tools on site - Have a shovel and a bucket of water nearby to extinguish any escaped embers. When you are ready to leave, drown all embers with water, stir the coals, and drown again. Repeat until the fire is DEAD out.
• Make sure it’s out – Completely extinguish your campfire before leaving. If it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave. A campfire that appears to be extinguished can harbor heat for weeks. Then, a warm day with a little wind can rekindle the “sleeper fire” into flames.
• When it’s time to leave the campfire and head to bed or back to town, make sure you put the campfire out – DEAD OUT!
Drown all embers, sticks, and coals, especially those that might have fallen under the rocks
Stir the coals to make sure all heat has been removed
