Public education is an important step in providing homeowners and residents with the information they require to reduce as much as possible the potential threat of wildfire on their properties.
Among the Sundre Fire Department's priorities is to help people prepare themselves for a worst-case scenario.
"We've seen Slave Lake and Fort McMurray," said Chief Marty Butts, referring to the devastating 2011 and 2016 wildfires, adding that Sundre certainly is not immune to a similar disaster and that the issue should be taken seriously.
"We're about to come into fire season. It would be great if people could start working on their yards," he said, referring to measures that can be taken to keep properties clean and clear of fuel sources that would merely serve to accelerate the spread of a wildfire.
To that end, the local fire department wants to work with the community to provide residents with all of the knowledge needed to significantly mitigate the threat of wildfire, he said.
"We are going to try to kick off a couple of open houses, get the public down and educate everybody."
Those sessions will be held at the Sundre Fire Department's hall, although specific dates have not yet been scheduled, he said.
"People have questions ó some don't even know what Fire Smart is."
Although an application for a provincial Fire Smart grant was not successful, the chief nevertheless intends to continue pursuing efforts to raise awareness.
"It doesn't mean we can't do Fire Smart in the community."
Butts also plans to apply for another similar grant later this fall, but in the meantime, homeowners and residents can certainly take initiative to do some fire smarting around their own properties, he said.
Among the measures discussed last year to help residents mitigate the threat of wildfire was a community wood-chipping program to safely clear and dispose of debris piles. However, without the grant funding, the chief said he will have to look into having a chipper donated for a day. Until that program can be put together, he said the immediate focus will be to hone in on potentially problematic parts of town.
"We're going to pick a few areas that I feel have the worst hazards in the community and try to get them cleaned up," including the stretch of Second Street NE near the Sundre hospital, as well as the Bergen Road heading south within the municipality's boundaries.
The fire department has already been taking protective steps by arranging controlled burns to eliminate fuel for a potential fire while creating a buffer between the surrounding forest and the town, he said.
Visit www.sundrefiresmart.com for more detailed information, and keep an eye out for dates to be announced for the open houses at the fire hall.
