Don't Play With Fire

Don't Play With Fire

This is smoke photographed in a studio setting. The smoke was created using incense and photographed with an off camera flash to the right of the camera.

I am posting this because today our city was covered in a blanket of smoke caused by forest fires that are raging out of control to the north west. Many of those fires started from some serious thunderstorms we have had over that last little while but there is always at least one that was started as a result of someone being careless with either fire or a cigarette. The single moment of tossing a cigarette butt out the window of a moving vehicle or carelessly tossing a butt into a wooded area while walking or hiking caused millions of dollars in damage. Not to mention it endangers the lives of residents in the area as well as the men and women that go out to fight that fire. If you have ever had to fight a forest fire, which I know most people have not, I will tell you it is not a pleasant experience. I seriously feel the pain of those out there sacrificing for the rest of us. The temperatures have been around 30 Celsius most of this week. Those fighting the fires are equipped with a large amount of protective gear that is hot to wear on a cool day. Add the temperature of a sunny day to the heat produced by a blazing fire and our firefighters are cooking inside that protective gear. Now add to that having to carry equipment to fight the fire, packing it into hard to reach areas and then busting their butts to try to put out a blaze. Men and women that fight forest fires are some of the toughest and bravest people out their and we owe it to them to be more careful with campfires, matches, cook stoves, cigarettes and anything else that can possibly ignite a fire.

To all of you firefighters out there. In Canada, the USA and the rest of the world you have my thanks for your hard and determined effort.