Five Sundre firefighters left last Friday morning to provide whatever help they can to relief efforts in Fort McMurray, said fire Chief Marty Butts, who was among the group.
Also volunteering to help were Nicole Toth, Rob McBride, Jordie MacDonald and Alex Clews, he told the Round Up from the road.
More than 80,000 people have been evacuated from Fort McMurray due to wildfires that have destroyed more than 1,600 structures since last Tuesday. The province declared a state of emergency the following afternoon on Wednesday.
“Didsbury and Carstairs have already gone up there,” said Butts.
“The call went out kind of across Alberta for any spare equipment or manpower. So we jumped on board with the rest of Mountain View County's fire halls,” he said, later adding, “Everybody wants to help.”
In these kinds of situations, it's natural for volunteer firefighters to want to lend a hand, regardless of where the fire is, he said.
“We thought, ‘you know what, that's what we do',” he said.
The five volunteers headed up with the Sundre Fire Department's command truck and bush buggy equipped with a sprinkler system to protect homes. However, the Sundre area will still be well covered, and if needed regional departments will provide mutual aid, he said.
“We've got to protect our world equally. We can't just run and take everything up there.”
The Olds Fire Department sent seven firefighters and five vehicles — an engine, mini-pumper, a wildland unit and two support vehicles — last Tuesday night. Four firefighters from the Town of Didsbury's department and two from the Town of Carstairs are with them as well.
“We are going to be working hand in hand with those guys from Olds and Didsbury. We will go wherever we are pointed,” said Butts.
If a similar situation developed in our area, which is a very real possibility, he said the response would no doubt have been the same — from all across the province, other volunteer firefighters “would come to help us.”
With their service area including the vast West Country forest along the Eastern Slopes, Sundre firefighters are well versed in wildland firefighting techniques.
But the situation in Fort McMurray has been described as a war zone, with footage showing entire neighbourhoods completely burned to the ground, and Butts said, “it's going to be quite a shocker to see that devastation, but we'll do what we can.”
As of early last Wednesday afternoon, the Town of Sundre had not been requested to provide any resources by the Provincial Operations Centre (POC) of the Alberta Management Agency, said Jim Hall, the Town of Sundre's deputy emergency management co-ordinator.
The POC is responsible for co-ordinating and maintaining the response to the disaster.
Hall has been watching the progression of the wildfire since it flared up last weekend.
The POC and Hall himself want to ensure adequate fire protection remains for the rest of Alberta municipalities while the Fort McMurray fire is battled.
“We need to keep our forces close at hand — we are very, very dry here,” said Hall.
He spent the week doing community outreach, ensuring businesses and community members get the message to be responsible if going into the backcountry.
“Everyone needs to be vigilant,” he said.
He also advises area residents to be prepared for disaster by having a 72-hour emergency kit ready.
Greenwood Neighbourhood Place (GNP) began fielding some calls last Wednesday morning from area residents wanting to know how to help victims of the Fort McMurray fire.
Hall has advised GNP staff that donations should go to banks or the Canadian Red Cross, which are able to take cash donations. Additionally, the federal government has pledged to match donations made to the Red Cross.
Donations can be made at the Red Cross website or by phoning 1-800-418-1111.
Also looking to find a way to help the relief efforts, student members of the Sundre High Leo Club have decided to meet to discuss potential ideas, said Ryan Beck, a teacher and the club's advisor.
“We're going to have a meeting so they can bring their ideas forward and we can discuss it as a group,” said Beck.
Some invitations have been sent out to local organizations to discuss possible ideas next Tuesday, May 17. Even if the fire has subsided or been extinguished by then, help will still be needed there, likely for years to come, he said.
As of Saturday, provincial officials announced a full fire ban for the entire Forest Protection Area of Alberta and all counties, municipal districts as well as special areas such as provincial parks and recreation areas. All open fires, including campfires and charcoal briquettes, are prohibited. The use of fireworks and incendiary targets are also banned. The only exception is contained fires fueled by liquid or gas used for cooking or heating like barbeques, said a press release.
A temporary province wide restriction on off-highway (OHV) vehicle recreational use on public lands and provincial parks has also been issued. The OHV restriction will be in place until further notice. Industry personnel who require the use of such vehicles are urged to take extra precautions and to clean debris from hot spots regularly, it said.
“The fire ban will remain in place until further notice. Every precaution is being taken to ensure no new preventable fires are started in the coming days that will put additional strain on the province's firefighting resources. People who contravene the ban can be fined up to $5,000 under the Forest and Prairie Protection act, and can also be held liable for the costs of putting out a fire they start.”
