LAC LA BICHE - With the Fire Bans in much of the Lakeland area lifted over the last week, fire officials continue to caution the public about safe and responsible fire management. Fire Advisories now cover most of the province, allowing for ATV use in designated public areas, attended campfires and backyard fire pits. On Sunday night, with the Alberta Wildfire Hazard moving back up to the Very High rating level along with a wind warning of gusts upwards of 100 kph, provincial forestry officials cautioned that fire bans — on an area-by-area basis — could be re-implemented if risks are determined.
Those risks, says Lac La Biche County Regional Fire Chief John Kokotilo apply to municipal fire departments as well. And those risks, he explained, apply to not only municipal property and residents, but to the firefighters at the local fire halls.
Risks of front-line emergency personnel contracting the COVID-19 respiratory flu increase with every fire call, says Kokotilo, who is also the municipal Manager of Protective Services.
"Limiting the number of human-caused fires and, as a result, limiting the number of times that firefighters need to respond and be in close contact with each other ... preserve(s) those resources and make sure they’re healthy and available for emergency situations when required," Kokotilo told the POST.
Staying safe
Social distancing on an active fire call is not easy to achieve, said Kokotilo, despite many safety and health protocols, including personal protective equipment, that are in place for municipal firefighters.
"Our firefighters are issued PPE – face masks, gloves, safety glasses and use this if and when they may have to work in close proximity, "he said, explaining that riding in vehicles to calls, working in enclosed areas like at motor vehicle collisions or assisting patients with ambulance staff are unavoidable.
In larger areas, like grass fires within the municipality, social spacing is easier — but precautions remain strict.
"On structural or wildland fires they have their bunker gear and SCBA which offers protection. Hand sanitizer and hand washing is performed during every incident," he said.
Fire numbers low
Provincially, Alberta Wildfire Information officer Leslie Lozinski reported on Sunday there were only six new wildfires reported since the fire ban was lifted on Tuesday, resulting in less than seven hectares being burned. The new fires were extinguished by wildland firefighters. As of Sunday, Lozinski says that since the fire season started on March 1, there have been 82 wildfires in the Lac La Biche Forest area. The area spreads from Wabasca to Cold Lake and Janvier to Smoky Lake. The fires have burned up 55.15 hectares of land in the region.
Through last weekend, Lozinski said there were 11, eight-person wildland fire crews, eight helicopters, one air tanker group and a heavy equipment team on standby in the region.
Across the province as of Sunday afternoon, there have been 266 wildfires in the 10 forest areas of the province since March 1. Four fires in the High Level area and one near Calgary were said to be burning out of control, the rest are extinguished. Since March 1, wildfires across the province have burned up more than 433 hectares of land.
The rate of wildfires so far this season has been less than normal, with only five fires reported in the Lac La Biche Forest areas in the first month of the fire season, increasing to 52 by May 5, then 56 by May 9, 76 reported late this week, and 80 on Sunday. According to historical data from the province, the number of wildfires reported so far this season across the province is less than half of the five-year average.
** This story was updated on May 31 to reflect updated Alberta Wildfire numbers.
