Richard Froese
South Peace News
Wildland firefighters will be busy over the next few weeks preventing wildfires as warmer weather approaches.
Firefighters started work in mid-April burning areas of dead and dry grass on public land around communities in the Slave Lake and Peace River forest areas in efforts to remove extremely flammable fuel for fire, Slave Lake area information officer Leah Lovequist says in a news release April 14.
“These controlled burns are designed to remove highly-flammable fuel that could contribute to future wildfires,” Lovequist says.
“Trained firefighters are carrying out these burns under specific weather conditions to ensure the fires are controlled and to minimize the impact of smoke to roadways and nearby communities.”
Burning these areas of dead grass helps protect communities from future wildfires by removing the flammable fuel.
Work continues throughout the spring.
“The next several weeks are critical for spring wildfires,” Lovequist says.
“As the warm spring weather quickly melts the snow, areas of dead grass are exposed.”
Any moisture on dead grass, such as rain or dew, dries up after just a few hours of sunlight and warmth, she notes.
Once it becomes dry, dead grass becomes extremely flammable and can easily ignite and allow fires to spread rapidly – even in light winds.
“Firefighters urge everyone to be cautious when working or spending time in areas with dead grass as most spring wildfires are human-caused,” says Lovequist.
She advises everyone to do their part to prevent wildfires by following several tips.
-Go back and check your winter burning.
A fire started in the winter can burn underground all winter long and if not extinguished, may reignite in the spring if not extinguished properly.
Ensure your winter burns are extinguished completely out.
-Get a fire permit before you burn.
Fire permits are required for any type of burning in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.
Call your local Forestry office to request your free fire permit or apply online.
Phone the High Prairie office at (780) 523-6619, the Slave Lake office at (780) 849-7377 or the Peace River office at (780) 624-6191 or by phoning 310-0000 for a free permit.
-When driving an off-highway vehicle, stop often to remove the debris from the vehicle’s hot spots and always carry firefighting equipment like a shovel, a pail and a fire extinguisher on the OHV.
-When using any equipment that may spark, work in areas away from dry grass and make sure to have water and a shovel at hand.
-When using farm equipment, clear away any debris from hot spots on equipment and carry firefighting equipment such as a shovel, a pail and a fire extinguisher on your equipment.
For more information, phone Lovequist at (780) 849-0945 or Peace River Forest Area wildfire information officer Tannis McNabb at (780) 617-4851.