Fire Regulations

General Fire Safety

  • Do not recharge small propane tanks with larger propane tanks. Any fuel that is not designed to be refilled should be single use only. Excess fuel should be stored in a safe manner preferably outside of the area it would be used.
  • Do not leave torches, candles, or campfires unattended. They must be actively attended. 
  • No flammable liquids may be thrown on fires. Lighter fluid may be used as per manufacturer instructions.
  • Each active open flame must have at least two fire suppression methods within 5 feet of the outside of the fire. The Watch and/or Department of Emergency Preparedness are authorized to check all camps for fire safety and investigate all infractions.
    • Appropriate Fire Suppression includes
      • Fire extinguishers
      • 5 gallon bucket of water
      • 5 gallon bucket of sand
      • Fire flaps
      • Water hose connected to camp reservoir (not just direct to camp water)
  • In the event of uncontained fire in your camp, use fire suppression as needed and immediately contact The Watch. In the event of uncontained fire in a camp you are not a member of, alert camp members if possible and use fire suppression as needed and immediately contact The Watch.
    • An uncontained fire is an unintentional fire outside of an approved area.
      • This may be within a tent or kitchen
      • This may be a fire moving outside of an approved fire pit due to intentional issues (such as using flammable fluids or too large of a fire) or unintentional issues (unexpected wind)
  • The Watch Authorized Personnel may enter empty camps and extinguish open or unattended flames in whatever method is judged most appropriate. While not the goal, property damage may occur and is not the responsibility of SCA, Inc, Gulf Wars, Autocrats, and the Watch.
    • Unattended fires are defined as fires without an active monitor within 15 feet of the edge of the fire who is capable of using the fire suppression methods. 
  • Any instance of unattended flames that have to be extinguished will be reported to the Autocrats and potentially Gleann Abhann Seneschal for potential further action.
  • No fireworks, fire spinning, spitting fire using chemical agents, nor any other fire-related performances such as fire twirlers, jugglers, swallowers, etc. are permitted on site.
  • Should site management, the Watch Commander, or Autocrats determine that further restrictions are necessary, for any reason, such further restrictions shall be announced and enforced.
  • All vendors utilizing open flames within their booths must get approval from the Merchant Staff and Watch. In the case of a disagreement or need for an appeal, decision/disagreement can be appealed to the Autocrats and, if necessary, then to the Gleann Abhann Kingdom Seneschal. Should the Merchant Staff require additional assistance, the Watch will assist. Private encampments associated with vendors will fall under the Watch.
  • Forges should have the appropriate fire suppression equipment to facilitate putting out any reasonable fire based on the forge’s size and location. Any questions should be put to the Watch.

 Daily Fire Guidance

  • Daily Fire Guidance will be judged as Red, Yellow, Green with restriction up to a complete site burn ban.
    • Green: Open flames are allowed within the site rules and any county guidance. No other restrictions are in place.
    • Yellow: No embers. Any type of flame or burning materials that would create embers is prohibited. Typical items prohibited by this are any type of ground fire, large open flame, wood fired grills.
    • Red: No flame. The only allowed source of flame will be camp stoves, propane lanterns, completely enclosed wood stoves, radiant style camp heaters. This is automatically the guidance that will occur if the site is under a burn ban by the State of Mississippi. 
  • The Daily Fire Guidance will be determined by review of the forestry service guidelines and current preparedness level in conjunction with current site conditions by the Watch Commander & Autocrats.
  • Conditions will be posted by Watch as well as on each transportation cart daily.
  • In extreme circumstances, the camp’s Fire Guidance may be changed without prior notice. In that case, Watch will help spread the update as fast as practical.

Fire Pits

  • No ground fires. Fire pits are allowed with appropriate precautions and due regard for safety.
    • Temporary (filled in year to year) – Max 6 foot in diameter, must be at least 12 inches in depth, sides should be lined with bricks or similar material or have a 3 feet dirt ring. Firewood may be stacked up to 6 inches above the top of the firepit. Fire pits must be filled in at the end of war.
    • Permanent (not filled in year to year) – Max 10 foot in diameter, must be at least 12 inches in depth, sides should be lined with bricks or similar material, the floor of the fire pit should be lined with stone or concrete block. Firewood may be stacked up to 12 inches above the top of the firepit.
      • Note – Established firepits on improved land with structures, i.e. Shadow Legion, Last Bastion, etc. will be individually approved by the site owners.
  • There must be 10 feet between fire pits and tents.
  • If your group has a question, the Watch will have a list of encampments with appropriate fire pits that will allow others to view it.
  • Fire pits or other open flames such as Roman kitchens will be reviewed by the Watch for safety. No fire should be lit until Watch determines the fire pit or other fire would be safe. Should any fire/open flame be judged unsafe, the Watch member reviewing it will provide written documentation of why it was not judged safe. This may be appealed to the Watch Commander (if they did not do the review) followed by appeal to the Autocrat(s). Should further appeal be necessary, the next step would be the Gleann Abhann Kingdom Seneschal.

 General Camp (Tents, Cabins & Kitchens)

  • Hay or straw may not be used as rushes or ground cover in any camping area with a fire pit
  • No open flames in sleeping tents with the exception of completely enclosed wood stoves.
    • Heaters with anti tip sensors are allowed. 
    • Heaters attached to larger than 1 lb tanks should have the tanks outside the tent. 
    • A carbon monoxide detector is highly recommended for any use of a heater.
    • All heaters should be used within manufacturer recommendations and instructions.
  • Kitchen tents must have two lanes of clear egress/ingress.  
  • No bowl-type tiki torches are allowed. Only torches with screw-on tops are permitted.
    • Tiki torches must be staked in a firm and stable fashion.
    • Tiki torches may not be placed in hay bales.
  • Braziers/above ground fire pits must have a screen/protection which may include a cooking grate.
  • All tent walls should be spaced 3 feet apart as a fire break. Camps should be separated by at least 10 feet. 

Appendices

Appendix A: Fire Extinguishers

  •  A good fire extinguisher for campsites is a 5 lb. ABC multi-purpose fire extinguisher.
  • This is a medium sized household fire extinguisher for personal use that can be bought at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, etc.
  • A 5 lb. ABC fire extinguisher has a “3-A, 40BC” rating.  Which means that when properly applied, it will extinguish 3 cubic yards of flaming “Ordinary Combustible” material aka Class A fire. It can also be used to extinguish up to 40 square feet of flammable/combustible liquid fire aka Class B. It’s also a non-conductive extinguishing agent which makes it suitable for Class C fires, which is any fire that involves energized equipment.
  • When using a fire extinguisher, employ the PASS method.  Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep. Pull the pin. Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire. Squeeze the handle and apply the extinguishing agent in a side-to-side Sweeping motion aimed at the base of the fire.

Appendix B: Fire Safety Plans

  • It is strongly recommended that every camp should have a fire safety plan and every person, including children, should understand what to do in the event of a fire.
  • Please dispose of cigarettes or cigar butts in the proper receptacles.
  • Braziers, Briquette/charcoal barbecues and propane camp stoves should be at least 12” above the ground.
  • Before dumping coals ensure that they are completely cool and flood the ashes with water.
  • Liquid fuels should be stored and transported in their original container or other state-approved container.
  • In the event of a tent fire, immediately determine if anyone is in the burning tent.  At the same time raise the cry of “Fire, Fire!”, to summon aid. If the fire seems likely to spread down a row of tents, move tents away from the one on fire and collapse the tent on fire to slow the fire’s progress.  Collapse more than one tent if needed.

Appendix C: Excerpt from “General Fire Restrictions FAQ” (https://gacc.nifc.gov/gbcc/dispatch/wy-tdc/home/sites/default/files/site-files/FireRestrictionsTalkingPoints2021-edit.pdf)

  • Q: What criteria is used to measure if fire restrictions are needed? We look at many things including: If at least 3 of these conditions are met the forest considers partial fire restrictions. The forest considers full restrictions after partial restrictions have been in effect and 4 or more of these conditions are met.
    • 1,000 HOUR FUEL MOISTURE CONTENT IS 90th PERCENTILE OR ABOVE 
    • THREE-DAY MEAN ENERGY RELEASE COMPONENT (ERC) IS AT 90th PERCENTILE OR ABOVE, IN THE UNITS REP FUEL MODEL 
    • LIVE FUEL MOISTURE CONTENT IS 75% OR LESS 
    • WILDLAND FIRES ARE IMPACTING AVAILABLE SUPPRESSION RESOURCES 
    • AREA IS RECEIVING A HIGH OCCURRENCE OF WILDLAND FIRE 
    • ADVERSE FIRE WEATHER IS PREDICTED TO CONTINUE 
  • Q: What does Partial fire restrictions or Stage 1 restrictions mean? In partial fire restrictions, the following acts are prohibited on federal lands unless otherwise noted.
    • Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, charcoal barbecue, or grills except in designated recreation sites on federal lands. The use of portable stoves, lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum, pressurized liquid fuel or fully enclosed (sheepherder type) wood burning stoves (piped) with a ¼’ spark arrester type screen are permitted. 
    • Welding, or operating acetylene or other torch with open flame or arc except in cleared areas of at least 10 feet in radius with a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher with a minimum rating of at least 2A. 
    • Smoking, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation area site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials. 
    • Using an explosive requiring fuse type blasting caps. 
    • Operating a chainsaw without a USDA or SAE approved spark arrester properly installed and in effective working order, a chemical pressurized fire extinguisher with a minimum rating of 2A, and one round pointed shovel with an overall length of at least 36 inches. 
    • Discharge of fireworks. 
  • Q: What is prohibited in full restrictions (stage 2 restrictions)? IN full fire restrictions: The following acts are prohibited on federal lands unless otherwise noted.
    • Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, charcoal barbecue, or grills are prohibited on federal lands. The use of portable stoves, lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum, pressurized liquid fuel or fully enclosed (sheepherder type) wood burning stoves (piped) with a ¼’ spark arrester type screen are permitted. 
    • Smoking, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation area site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials. 
    • Discharge of fireworks and use of explosives.