The natural beauty that surrounds Sundre could in the blink of an eye turn into a devastating natural disaster.
The potential for a flood might come to mind, but in a community surrounded also by forest, there exists the threat of wildfire as well ó something residents of Slave Lake are all too familiar with.
That's why some members of the community, namely led by the efforts of local fire Chief Marty Butts, are working towards developing a FireSmart safety plan with assistance from the guiding hand of a consultation firm.
Representatives from CPP Environmental, as well as a few local officials and stakeholders, attended a meeting held on Thursday, Jan. 21 at the Sundre Legion to discuss steps moving forward.
"Finally seeing it here is awesome," said Butts about the FireSmart plan being tailored to Sundre.
Developing the plan is essentially the first stage of the FireSmart program after initial government grant funding is approved, he said during an interview with the Round Up.
"What CPP was doing was assessing the areas of interest that need attention."
The consultants can help the community determine areas that are at higher risk of potential fire hazards and suggest places to create buffer zones around Sundre to protect the town from wildfire. Once the plan highlighting potential problem areas has been completed, additional grants will have to be applied for to begin the actual work to make the plan a reality, he said.
"This first stage is getting the public involved."
Anyone with an interest to do so is welcome and encouraged to join the FireSmart committee, he said.
"It's a group effort. Everybody in the community who lives in this area has to get on board and start thinking FireSmart. We don't want to see a Slave Lake situation sweep through Sundre."
The FireSmart consultants base their risk assessment on records from the area, including regional climate history and wind patterns to hypothesize how long it would take a fire to burn through the community, he said.
"It could happen to us too," said the fire chief, adding he's glad to see a FireSmart plan being developed for Sundre. It's an initiative that he's been hoping to achieve since he became chief.
"It's one of my goals that I had in mind," he said, adding town officials understand the potential fire danger Sundre faces and have thus been supportive of his efforts to work towards developing a FireSmart plan.
The Jan. 21 meeting was open to the public, but only a few people turned out, including Mountain View County residents who live near Sundre. However, the handful of people who did turn out seemed interested in getting more information about FireSmart, he said.
"They face the same problems," he said about residents of neighbouring communities like Bergen.
"They see a need for it as well."
Volunteers are still sought for the FireSmart steering committee, and the fire chief said he would act as chair for the time being. But if anyone else expresses interest in the position, Butts said he would "pass the torch and support them 100 per cent."
"For now, I'm going to take that on to make sure everything keeps moving in a forward direction," he added.
The next meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, March 22 and Tuesday, May 10 at the Sundre Legion starting at 7 p.m. To get involved, call the Sundre Fire Department at 403-638-4044, or visit firesmartcanada.ca for more information about the program.
