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Show i w Dry conditions could wreak havoc during holiday season By SCOTT SliMMERILL BOUNTIFUL"I think this will be a horrendous year for fires," said South Davis Fire District (SDFD) Chief Brent Argyle. The extreme heat and drought conditions that have been plaguing Utah and other parts of the country have raised the potential for fires to frightening levels. And, with the 4th of July and the Utah Pioneer Days celebrations having traditionally high numbers of fires from fireworks, officials are gearing up for what they expect to be the start of one of the worst fire years in recent re-cent years. Argyle said the SDFD has already experienced an increase in calls since the temperatures shot into the high 90s. "The calls are already picking up," he said. "And, with the heat, drought conditions, fireworks and hot south winds the potential for fires and damage is very high." The SDFD has already scheduled extra people to man the three stations during the holidays, and there will be around-the-clock manning on the 4th and 24th of July. Another concern of officials is with fires in the mountain areas. Fire departments are equipped primarily to handle structure fires. However, during the July holidays many people head for the hills, and fires seem to follow. Argyle said if a fire starts in the mountains, the forest service may have to help battle it. "We just don't have the right equipment for those types of fires," he said. The Utah State Forest Service has already issued a Stage 1 fire restriction re-striction order for the Wasatch Front because of the dry conditions. Under the order, it is illegal to set fires of any kind in affected National Forest areas except in facilities provided for campfires. Also, smoking is prohibited other than in improved areas or while aboard a boat. Lastly, fireworks are prohibited in all National Forest lands. Forest Service Public Affairs Specialist Richard Kline said this is the earliest a Stage 1 order has been initiated in many years, and if conditions con-ditions continue to dry the forest land, a Stage 2 order may be forthcoming, for-thcoming, which would prohibit the use of any kind of fire in the parks. Kline also warned that violation of the order is a Class 'B misdemeanor, misde-meanor, and violators could be prosecuted. Lack of water is another concern sitting in the back of firefighters mind. Although there has not been a problem with tapping into the water needed to fight fires yet, Argyle said the threat of a water shortage exists. "We have been put on notice to conserve water," he said. "We've had to curtail training with large volumes of water, but we haven't SEE HOLIDAYS PG. A-2 Holidays CONT. FROM A-1 found any dry hydrants so far." Bountiful Fire Department (BFO) Lt. Bob Stell said the city hasn 't had any problems with water yet e.tlier. However, if the shortage continues to grow, areas using culinary water instead of water from the Weber Water District could have problems if a fire were to break out. Strll also reaffirmed the concerns of fires caused by fireworks and said more than 90 percent of the fires during the holidays are caused by fireworks. Last year, the BFD reported more than 50 calls over the 4th and 24th of July holiday, with property damage running in excess of $150,000. Although the BFD firefighters are always on call, the word has gone out to personnel to make sure they are available for quick response during the peak times. Along with common sense caution cau-tion when using fireworks, officials urge residents to follow some simple guidelines to limit the damage, expense and possible loss of life inherent with fires. Stell warned that showing off with extravagant fireworks is another an-other hazard during the holidays. "Everybody blames the kids for starting fires," he said. "But, almost inevitably it's the adults trying try-ing to show off for their kids by putting put-ting on neighborhood fireworks shows. And, they usually end up setting fire to their neighbor's property.' prop-erty.' Some of the precautions are: ensure en-sure comoetent adult supervision X when using fireworks; avoid using fireworks near buildings, vacant fields and areas of public assembly; make sure sparklers and other firework residuals are dead out and cold before discarding them in the trash; keep a garden hose at hand in case a mishap should occur, if a bum occurs, run cold water over the area for at least 15 minutes to reduce the severity and get the heat out; make sure fire and medical numbers, including the 911 emergency number, are posted near the phone in case they are needed. |