Wildfire prevention for industry and commercial operators
Last updated on May 10, 2023
Industry and commercial operators in British Columbia have, under the Wildfire Act and Wildfire Regulation, legal obligations and responsibilities with respect to fire use, prevention, control, and rehabilitation.
This includes hazard assessment and hazard abatement and the performance of high risk activities.
The Wildfire Act applies on both public (Crown) and private land throughout B.C. It is your responsibility to review and understand the Act and Regulation and take steps to ensure you are in compliance.
A person who contravenes either the Wildfire Act or the Wildfire Regulation may be liable for an administrative penalty or a fine upon conviction, and/or suppression, fire damage and rehabilitation costs.
Hazard assessment & abatement
Use the British Columbia fire risk map to determine the location of a potential fire hazard.
High risk activities
A person who carries out a high risk activity on or within 300m of forest land or grass land on or after March 1 and before November 1, unless the area is snow covered, must determine the fire danger class for the location of the activity. There are three steps to determine your obligations around high risk activities.
Emergency contact information
The BC Wildfire Service requires updated emergency contact information annually from any person who, under the Forest Act, is the holder of: a major licence, a timber sale licence that is not a major licence, a community forest agreement, a woodlot licence, or a first nations woodland licence and proposes to carry out industrial activity on or after March 1 and before November 1 of that year.
Danger class report
Find a detailed danger class report on estimated and forecast fire danger rating values for specific weather stations.
Other resources
- Guide to Category 2 Open Fires: Backyard & Industrial Burning (PDF, 210KB)
- Guide to Category 3 and Resource Management Open Fires: Industrial & Resource Management Burning (PDF, 215KB)
- Wildfire Prevention - The Oil and Gas Industry (PDF, 230KB)
- Wildfire Regulation - Interpretive Bulletin for the Forest Industry (PDF, 1MB)
Everyone in B.C. is expected to understand and abide by the Wildfire Act and Regulation. Its key goal is to specify responsibilities and obligations on fire use, wildfire prevention, wildfire control, and rehabilitation.