As fire rages in northern Alberta, firefighters in the Foothills MD and communities are taking precautions to keep residents in the south safe.
The Towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley joined the MD of Foothills in issuing fire bans in their communities on May 4, restricting residents from starting open fires in their communities.
Residents are permitted to use liquid and gas powered barbecues, but cannot use fire pits or barbecues with briquettes until the ban is lifted.
“There’s not a lot of moisture and not a lot of precipitation yet and the ground cover is still dry from the winter,” said Turner Valley fire chief Glenn Baxter. “We’re in a volatile temperature and humidity situation as well. When the humidity is lower than the air temperature it’s perfect fire conditions.”
With fires currently devastating Fort McMurray, resulting in the evacuation of the entire community on May 3, Baxter said resources needed to fight a large fire in the Foothills would be limited if the need arose.
“There is a certain amount of resources that are no longer available to all of us,” he said. “The air support units are very busy with the fires up north so if we have something here there is less resources available to assist down here. Certainly a lot of departments in the province are all in the same situation right now as far as fire hazard.”
While the Black Diamond and Turner Valley fire department have offered resources to assist with the current Fort McMurray emergency, Baxter said they have yet to receive a request for support.
The fire ban in both communities will remain in effect until conditions change, he said.
“We are minimizing the risk,” he said. “We would be waiting for some sign of rain and ground and vegetation conditions to change. There is nothing forecasted in the near future.”
Black Diamond fire chief Jamie Campbell said the local departments are trying to stay consistent across the region.
“Obviously the MD is a bigger risk than we are,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of dry cure and we don’t have a lot of burn piles that have been simmering over the winter but it’s not unheard of for us to have fires down by the river that are left unattended. We always look at the risk in our community.”
Campbell said the ban is a preventative measure for the communities.
“Given what’s happening around the province right now there’s not a lot of precipitation in anyone’s forecast,” he said. “We would rather be proactive than reactive.”
