Local fire departments reflect on 2021 wildfire season
Alberta’s wildfire season officially ended on Oct. 31 but locals still need to be aware of the risk of fire throughout colder months, according to local fire departments. As long as there is no snow cover, conditions are very dry and the wildfire risk continues, said one local fire chief.
“Clean up your yards, clean up around your home, any loose clutter, any leaves, any branches, that type of thing. Go to firesmart. ca and look at how to FireSmart around your home,” said Rob Evans, fire chief at Redwood Meadows Emergency Services (RMES).
Rocky View County offers free FireSmart assessments to ensure properties in the area are safe from the risk of fire. Residents in the area are becoming better at educating themselves about being FireSmart, Evans said.
RMES started the wildfire season on April 1 by assisting with a large grass fire near Highway 1A and Highway 40 and bookended the month with another major grass fire. Evans noted that people in the Redwood Meadows/Bragg Creek area are very cognizant of the dangers with wildfires and fortunately there were no major fires in their immediate response area.
“It was a pretty impressive start to the fire season this year for us. With it being as dry and warm as it was this summer, we were very lucky not to have any major fires in our response area,” Evans said.
Instead RMES saw a spike this year in backcountry rescues, a likely byproduct from the COVID-19 pandemic as people were trying to get outside more, Evans noted.
“I would guess anywhere from 30% to 40% more calls that way where we’re helping hikers or mountain bikers, that type of thing,” he said.
A positive impact from these calls is that RMES had the opportunity to work and train with Kananaskis Public Safety and their rescue specialists. Through cross-training, RMES crew members fine-tuned their rescue skills and trained with helicopters more than ever.
“The more you do that type of [training] the more it becomes muscle memory and the better it is for the citizens. I mean our firefighters are so well-rounded in their training now,” said Evans.
Another impact from COVID-19 has been the way crews train and respond to calls while wearing masks and additional protective equipment. RMES didn’t respond to many calls for COVID-19 patients, Evans added.
Currently, RMES is focused on being response-ready for everything. The crews recently trained on laying lines from a hydrant and several structure fire techniques, followed by a house fire in West Bragg Creek. The crew also trained on vehicle extrication followed by several calls of vehicle versus animal crashes.
“We have to be ready for everything. In our operating guidelines we are a full-service fire department,” Evans said.
RMES is also working with Banff-Kananaskis MLA Miranda Rosin to obtain structure protection units for the area, which are trailers with sprinklers in them.
Deanna Hintze, fire chief in Turner Valley, noted that about 45% of their calls have been medical, which is up a little bit at this point. They’ve also seen a slight increase in grass fires.
“When I look at my outside fires category, it’s up a little bit this year. Not a lot but it makes sense when you consider how dry a year and how warm it’s been,” Hintze said.
Hintze said the COVID-19 situation has made it tough for the crew to manage training and in-person community events. The Turner Valley Fire Department normally supports the community with food drives and their annual Town Discovery day, which were all cancelled.
“That’s always been a great way for us to get out in the community and support folks. It’s unfortunate that we’re not able to do some of those events,” she said.
Their main focus is to continue training even when it’s just online, and to maintain response to calls. Rick Saulnier, fire chief of Foothills County, said they too were struggling to continue training in the midst of the pandemic. They developed an online system for firefighters to continue training, but it misses the practical component. Foothills also moved many of their services for residents online, like purchasing fire permits and school programs teaching kids about fire prevention.
“We had a difficult time recruiting, especially in our volunteer stations. We also had to change staffing models [due to COVID-19],” Saulnier said. He explained that they’ve moved to more full time personnel instead of part-time, avoiding any staff overlap and the potential risk of spreading COVID-19. Some staff were also able to work from home, but Saulnier said the social distancing tactics go against the way fire departments function based on teamwork and camaraderie.
While the majority of calls for the Foothills fire department is medical, Saulnier said they did not respond to many COVID-19 cases due to changing protocols by Alberta Health Services (AHS). Saulnier said that the Foothills fire department has seen a drop in wildfires over the past three years and that they currently sit about 27% below the seasonal average. In 2021, Foothills responded to 83 grass fires, compared to 100 in 2018 and 127 in 2017. Their total calls also dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 797 calls in 2020 and 742 calls in 2021 so far.
“This is one of the driest years we’ve seen, no snow in the winter, and barely any rain this and last summer,” Saulnier said. “I’m surprised we haven’t had more fires due to the dry weather. But we’re putting out a lot of information on fire restrictions, fire bans, and fire advisories.”
Foothills has mutual aid agreements with all surrounding fire departments and municipalities, and Saulnier added they have great partner relationships.
Go to firesmart.ca for more information on how to protect your home and property in case of fire.
Masha Scheele, HCN Staff
media@highcountrynews.ca
