North Cedar Improvement District Information

The North Cedar Improvement District provides three services to Cedar those being water, fire and street lighting. Is Your Home Fire Smart? Wildland forest fires are capable of spreading at an astonishing rate. Crowning forest fires often spread at up to 5.5 kilometres per hour, with spotting as far as 2 kilometers ahead. Wind blown grass fires can spread up to 8.5 kilometres per hour. In British Columbia, an average of 48% of all wildfires are caused by human activity. Wildfire is also a natural phenomenon. Nearly 52% of British Columbia's wildfires are caused by lightning strikes. Over the last several centuries, large areas of BC have been burned over repeatedly. Over the last 10 years, on average, over 2,500 wildfires were started in British Columbia each year, consuming over 25,000 hectares of forested land annually. Thousands of families have been evacuated from their communities and hundreds of homes destroyed. Many British Columbians live near a forested region and Cedar is no exception. Hopefully we never have to contend with the spread of a wildfire. The best protection against loss, damage or injury, due to wildfire, is prevention. The North Cedar Volunteer Fire Department supports the FireSmart Program. This is a program that tells residents all the steps they can take to make their homes and properties fire smart. Manuals are available at the fire hall for free and contain many simple preventative steps residents can take. The manual also includes a FireSmart Assessment test, which you can complete and it will help determine if your home or property is at risk. All residents must be in possession of a burning permit, from April 1st to October 31st, and these are available for free at the District office. When we reach "high" on our danger rating, campfires are the only burning permitted and when we reach "extreme" no burning of any kind is permitted. Fire Danger rating signs are located in front of the fire hall on Yellow Point Road and just before the Cedar Bridge, when you enter the District. Please do your part to be "firesmart" and respect the burning regulations as well as be in possession of a burning permit. The permit outlines what is permissible to burn as well as the size the fire may be and the time frame in which a fire should be put out. Have a safe and happy summer. Remember to burn responsibly, as well as respect your neighbors. Only burn during permissible times and burn only permissable materials. Added June 1st, 2009 in Newsletters.