Fire Safety & Ignorance. Rant with me....

Last night I was watching the news coverage about the North Shore trails being closed…including the grind.

They had a reporter at the bottom of the Grind, and what they showed blew my mind.

1) people showing up to hike, and saying they had no idea about fire hazards in the area. One lady even said "fires? What fire danger, I have no idea?"

2) SELFISH!! People showing up, explaining how they do it every week and they "are not going to start a fire", and proceeding to hop the fence.

3) one guy poached the grind, and when questioned as he ran by, replies "this is not the Grind" while he runs up it…

4) a complete lack of understanding as to what is going on in BC, and a lack of understanding of what it at stake.

My rant: How the hell do these people, who are a very scary sample if the attitude carries across the population in the Lower Mainland, live their lives being so ignorant and self indulged?

I am disgusted that people are so out of the loop that they drive their and are suprised it is closed, and continue to poach it because "they drove all this way". Some even walked up to the gate, while it had a big "CLOSED" sign on it, and tried to open it. HOW STUPID are you? Think its closed, but you can go anyway?

It is so easy to take your activities elsewhere. Go for a run around False Creek. Go to the gym for a change. There are so many alternatives to seek when we suffer such a minor, temporary inconvenience, why is this so difficult for people to get?

I REALLY hope Mountain Bikers take heed and set an example in this situation.

As Diggler would say…"discuss".

AAAAAAAAAAA i hate smokers!!!!!!!! i almost killed this one guy, sitting at a stop light and the guy throughs his butt out the window in the grass!!!!!:eek: :eek: i just wanted murder that guy!!!!!!!!!!! oh ya and people are dinks for not knowing whats going on in the Province!

I saw that clip as well. How come, during this time of provincial emergency, we haven't seen our idiot leader Gordo? We get to see the idiotic public complain, but get no feedback from those whom should be making the statement clear!

You're 100% right about all of that, Mulletron, but I have a feeling that mountain bikers won't be setting an example for anyone.

A rather stunning example of that is on page A3 of today's Province - two mountain bikers who went up to Fromme for a ride (called Upper Lynn Valley in the paper), and then bitched to some reporter because the trails were closed.

The gist of their argument was that everyone is being stupid and overreacting. And that 'if they're going to shut anything, they should shut Stanley Park.'

Try telling the people in Kelowna who are on one-hour evacuation notice that they're overreacting. Or the people whose houses back right up against Fromme. Or their neighbours down the hill, whose houses would be the next to go.

A cigarette that's not completely put out, a bike with super-hot rotors from a long downhill being laid down on dead cedar needles, or a spark from a crank hitting a rock and the whole North Shore could look like Kelowna, with the flames to big that they're visible from kilometres away.

And as the fires in the Interior get worse, the reality is that there are fewer and fewer resources available to deal with any potential problems that may come up here. There are only so many water bombers and so many fire fighters, and they can't keep up as it is.

What people seem to fail to realize (why is completely beyond me) is that their entertainment/recreation could possibly cost a significant number of people on the Shore their homes and their lives.

I'm all over the rant on this one. Start slapping people with $2,000 fines AND jail time, and get that on the news. Maybe then all these morons will start paying attention.

S / p

The mountain bikers should patrol the area and stop any hikers going up.

Good rant Corey, this area has fires on all four sides, I'd hate to see that happen on the Shore because of some dumbass that cant's read CLOSED. Waking up every morning with your house smelling like smoke is getting a little freaky. Kamloops, Williams Lake, Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna, Chase are all burning, mother nature can't be controlled but if you see any idiots out there doing what they shouldn't be doing SHUT THEM DOWN.

did they see any bikers going up?

people think its fine that they go in anyways , let it be on a bike or just hiking, its super dry there(i think?) they dont realized HOW easy it is to start a fire, a little spark could smoulder in some dry grass for hours before it flames, and its not hard to make a spark, a hiker kicking a rock could mkae a spark that could start a fire its so dry( if its as dry as kamloops lol)

Bingo Stuart.

I wish I saw those bikers on TV… Nobody goes into the forest (unless the are an arsonist) and expects to start a fire. Of course they all say "people are over-reacting", and I feel over reacting is the best thing we can do right now.

Selfish comments like that really get me going. People say a pedal spark or hot rotor igniting a fire is a far cry from a real risk. Maybe the odds are low, fair enough. They'd be suprised if that was able to start a fire. They'd be even more suprised when it actually does, and it came off their pedal or rotor, and they are the ignorant, self concerned moron who costs Vancouver, BC, its legendary North Shore forests, wild life, and residents their homes.

It is a very serious reality. We CAN NOT have our desire to ride jeopardize everything we have in BC. There are other ways to get in bike time than risking lives, forests and animals.

I am all for HUGE fines and jail time. It is nearly impossible to enforce, but if just one ignorant moron gets fined and jailed, it would sure send one powerful message.

Cory, I totally agree! For all of us that live here because of the incredible surroundings

I just am surprised how the shore is soo dry now everytime i wanna ride it it has at least a foot of snow or sloppy mud and sit alll over it but now when i just come back from maui i was hopping i could hit up circus or cbc nice and dry and now its in a FIRE state im worried thel soo close the little things like burke and the woodlot if not alredy. Its amazing when u leve for a few weeks and this is what you return to.

Nothing to get to concerned about…All we need is a good rain to take the danger factor down and we will be back at it.

Every one of us can handle a week or two off the Shore. What better excuse to get outside on the street and work on skills, like manuals and wheelies, and balance and all that fun stuff.

This might upset the "bad apple" crowd of bikers, but I think they should use this time to work on some skill other than hanging on and yelling at people to get out of their way. :lol:

glad to hear that other bikers are considering/are leaving their trail bike on it's hook till we get some rain. as said before it doesn't take much at all to start a fire in conditions like this

Lets do our part.

If you are in the area, drive or ROAD RIDE by the gate, drive by Old Buck on Seymour. If you see mountain bikers INFORM THEM.

Some people are coming in from out of town and have no idea.

These idiots who don't respect the closure are setting a very bad precident.

So what if its over reacting. Its a small price to pay.

If we need to, we'll be asking for volunteers to start patrolling by the access areas to inform people of the current fire hazzard.