Under the right conditions, what might otherwise seem like a relatively harmless blaze can quickly become a massive raging wildfire.
"Never underestimate a grass fire," said Barry Shellian, Rocky Forest Area information coordinator, during a recent public presentation at the Sundre Legion attended by several dozen people.
His presentation included a slideshow outlining safety tips and pointers to help residents respond more effectively in the event of a wildfire.
All human-caused wildfires are preventable, he said, adding efforts have been invested towards increasing communication between industry and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry on fire hazard as well as fire prevention information.
Shellian urges people to quickly and carefully assess a fire by following these steps: look at the fuel types in the area; look at the topography, or the arrangement of natural and artificial physical features of the area; consider the weather and time of day; and to escape to a safe place to wait for help if fuels, weather and the land's layout are causing the blaze to spread more rapidly than can be controlled by a limited effort.
If safe to do so in the event of a human-caused wildfire, he also encourages people to look for and preserve any potential evidence. However, maintaining situational awareness is imperative as wildfire can spread unpredictably and end up trapping an unsuspecting person.
When reporting a wildfire by contacting toll free anywhere in the province 310-3473 (FIRE), callers should be prepared to supply the following information: name of the individual submitting the report; the date and time the fire was discovered; detailed land description or longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates; the types of fuel such as spruce, pine, grass and so on; the blaze's approximate size in length and width; whether any properties are threatened; what the access to the location is like; availability of water supplies; and the colour of the smoke as well as the shape and density of the column.
Citing some examples, Shellian said dense white smoke generally indicates very moist fuels and mild fire behaviour while black smoke more likely means dry fuels and a high fire behaviour. Smoke columns can be described mainly by the following three categories: straight up, drifting high or drifting low.
When wildfire fighting efforts are underway, he also reminds everyone to stay clear of responders and especially any air tankers.
"They won't drop if the crew suspects people are on the ground," he said.
Drones also represent a serious problem for responders in such situations, as the unmanned aircraft can potentially pose a danger to aircrews, who have in the past been forced to abort a run because of the threat, he said, adding breaking this rule could lead to a court appearance if firefighting efforts are hampered.
The wildfire season began at the start of March, and there are new violation tickets that have this year been introduced regarding wildfire related offences, which include burning without a permit, leaving a campfire unattended and operating an off-highway vehicle when prohibited by a fire ban or forest closure.
Additionally, the use of fireworks or exploding targets is now restricted in the Forest Protection Area due to the high hazard potential of starting a wildfire. However, there are some instances in which a forest officer might grant permission.
Visit wildfire.alberta.ca to stay up to date on the wildfire hazard throughout the province.
