Thread: Fires

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

I was a Rural fire Officer for some 30 years so can answer this- if you are heading out and intend to light a camp fire first check on DOC website if its allowed i.e what is the current status of the area you are going to - easy process on DOC web site its like a search engine -you will be asked to state the area and when - if it states the area is in an open season yes you can have a campfire but use bloody common sense where you put the fire -personally I would only light near a stream or river and well away from any potential fuels - if it says restricted season you may well be confined to set DOC areas such as picnic areas or designated campsites the web site will tell you - if it states total ban that means just that - ignore at your peril it could be very expensive

For forum users I will try to clarify on monday a few anomalies this has bought up - DOC run a restricted season year around - but this web site does not seem to be able to specifically log into a specified DOC area - rather it will go to nearest town - I will do some home work on monday and see what the rules are - this is an important one as the consequences can be financially severe