By Tom Mark

Vernon Mayor Says Watch Your Butts

Aug 28, 2017 | 11:38 AM

Road signs are going up around Vernon reminding of the extreme fire hazard and to be careful with cigarette butts.

Mayor Akbal Mund says they will be like the signs that went up during the high lake levels asking boaters not to create wakes.

“We got probably 2 or 3 more weeks to go and we just want to make sure that we try to do as much preventive actions as we can to avoid a fire disaster with our community.”

The Mayor everyone has play their part.

“We’ve had residents call and send us emails about people stopping off at lookouts and tossing out cigarette butts. It probably happens. I can’t say that everybody pays attention to what they’re doing. It becomes a habit for a lot of people.”

Irrigation & Lake Protection

Work underway to build new North Okanagan Wastewater Recovery project

28m ago

Missing Person

Public assistance sought in search for missing woman

1h ago

Dangerous Riding

West Kelowna RCMP searching for highway stunter

Jul 03, 2026

Mund reminds people they can’t toss a butt and not know if its out, so it’s best not to toss it at all.

“Most people, you know they’re trying to do the right thing but when you look at this fire in Kelowna there, and I know they haven’t figured out a cause, but gee it started right on a highway, so unless somebody lost a muffler, which I don’t think they found, it’s kind of hard to start a fire unless you did something.”

Several signs will go up.

“Probably six or seven go up within the community. Probably one each coming into town letting people know. one on Eastside Road, Tronson Road. Look at probably up towards The Rise, Turtle Mountain.”

He adds the city will continue with the extra staffing at the Predator Ridge and Okanagan Landing fire stations, at least until we get a considerable amount of precipitation.

by Tom Mark