Area firefighters worked long and hard to extinguish numerous fires in the area last week, and they may get a reprieve following both Mountain View and Red Deer counties' enactment of countywide fire bans.
Didsbury fire chief Pat Dodman said he thinks it was a good move by Mountain View County (MVC) officials to declare the ban.
“That's a very wise decision – it's really dry,” said Dodman. “The ground is still a little wet, but it's starting to dry up really fast, and it's the stuff on top of the ground like the stubble and grass that's really dry. It burns regardless of how wet and moist the soil is.”
It's been a busy week for all fire departments, with the Didsbury Fire Department alone attending about 20 calls, he added.
“It's been extremely busy for all the fire departments in the county,” he said. “We've been calling in all our mutual aid partners back and forth. We've had great mutual aid with Carstairs, Sundre, Cremona and Olds.”
The mutual aid system has worked out well, he said, as all the departments “work exceptionally well” with each other.
Despite the teamwork, the amount of fires in the county last week has left his crew tired and drained, because they all have day jobs as well as firefighting duties, he said.
“For one, they're extremely tired. You know, they work all day long then they're out fighting grassfires all night long, having calls at 4 in the morning, so they're going to work tired,” he said.
“It's taking a toll on the manpower, and it also affects the employers that are allowing their workers to go out on these calls. Thank goodness we have really good employers to allow them to go.”
Andrew Wild, communications coordinator for MVC, said officials often keep an eye on the conditions, especially this time of year when the grass is not yet green.
“It's something we're always wanting to keep monitoring,” said Wild.
“This time of year, conditions obviously become more conducive to (uncontrolled fires). We wanted to be a bit more ahead of it this year and thought it was in the best interests to institute the fire ban.”
These are complete bans of any kind of burning other than for cooking with liquid or gas barbecues, and the bans will be in place until further notice.
Pam Thomas, community services coordinator for MVC, said officials are asking residents to abide by the rules and hold off on having fires or controlled burns until the ban has been recalled.
“We just want people to understand that the fire ban is in place and that it's done to ensure we don't have any extreme issues,” said Thomas, noting the decision was reached after consultation with county fire departments.
Penalties for violating the ban, as per Mountain View County By-Law 28/02, are $500 for permitting the burning of an open fire during a county fire ban, and $250 for hindering, delaying or obstructing enforcement of the bylaw, she noted.
She added people responsible for fires may also be on the hook for costs incurred by responding fire departments.
