All blueberry fields must be field checked by the staff of the Department of Natural Resources & Energy prior to any burning permits being issued. Owners or their designates must be present during field inspection.

• That the area be accessible by motor vehicle.
• The required equipment: a tank with a minimum capacity of 500 gallons with a pump and hose, sufficiently mobile to service all of the field for fire suppression; or a fire pump and hose set-up in a brook or pond that has the capacity to carry water to all parts of field. The equipment will be checked to determine its working state.
• A fire break acceptable to a "Forest Service Officer", with a minimum width of ten feet.
• Certain fields with a higher hazard rating may require more fire equipment or wider fire breaks.
• Determining the degree of danger for higher hazard fields can depend on a few things, such as:
  • proximity to residences or settle-ments;
  • the types of combustible materials which are near the fields;
  • the size of the field and the amounts of combustible materials present on the field ...

• A 500- gallon mobile tank equipped with a fire pump, or a fire pump and hose set-up near a reliable water source.
• A minimum of three (3) people on site during all burning operations. More people may be required depending on the potential hazard of a given field.
• All burning fields must be patrolled for forty-eight (48) hours after the initial burning.
• During the first 24 hours, the area should be patrolled by one or two people during the daylight hours.
• During the second day, burned areas should be inspected in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. If flames or smoking areas are found, workers must remain on site for a one day period until no smoking areas are found.

• Burning permits will be issued only during low hazard conditions, as per Provincial policy.
• There will be no verbal permission given for burning. A written permit to burn a specific field should be in the possession of the operator. Permits will be issued for two-day periods, and extensions may be issued with approval from the District Ranger.
• All burning within village limits must be approved by the village Fire Department before DNR&E will issue a permit.
• Burning should be done preferably early in the morning and late in the evening.
• Under certain conditions, permits may be issued on Saturdays. No burning permits are to be issued on Sundays, though the 48 hour surveillance period remains in effect on Sundays.
• Permits can be cancelled if operators do not comply with the permit's obligations, for example:
  • insufficient fire equipment on site;
  • burning at the wrong time;
  • lack of patrolling after the burn.

• In cases of extreme fire danger, the DNR&E reserves the right to impose conditions over and above those written on the regular permit. A permit may also be cancelled after it has been issued.

Operators should supply the DNR&E office with a schedule of the fields to be burned for the season. The operator should update this schedule from time to time if the situation changes. This should help the DNR&E staff in scheduling field checks, thereby speeding up the process of issuing burning permits.

Where rented fire equipment is used, it is up to the blueberry operator to ensure that the equipment has been inspected by the DNR&E before it is used.

Spot checks will be done during burning operations to ensure that the requirements for burning are being observed.