Whitecourt Area Update

Strong winds expected this weekend - follow your fire permit guidelines

Posted on Fri, Mar 13, 2015

low fire hazard

If you are in Whitecourt, Fox Creek, Swan Hills and surrounding areas, you can expect warm temperatures and winds gusting up to 60 kilometers per hour this weekend. Snow is melting quickly, exposing dry grass. The strong winds this weekend can make a small fire become a big problem very quickly. Please make sure you have a fire permit and that you follow the burning guidelines within it; for you and your communities safety.

Whitecourt Wildfire Management Area (WWMA) update

As of 10:00 a.m today, there are no wildfires in the WWMA.

Alberta Wildfire Update

As of 10:00 a.m today 

  • Alberta currently has two wildfires, both have been turned over to the responsible party to extinguish.

  • Since March 1, 2015, Alberta has recorded 14 new wildfires.

Fire bans

Some communities in or near the WWMA have issued fire advisories, they are: Fox Creek, Westlock and Parkland County. Click here to read more.

Fire permits are now required

Did you know, fire permits allow us to know where to expect smoke or fire on the landscape? Allowing us to better manage where we place our firefighters and fire fighting equipment to best protect Albertans.

You now need to have a fire permit to do any burning (except campfires) within the Forest Protection Area. If you require a free fire permit please contact our local office at 780-778-7153. Permits help us help you have a safe burn. 

Before you call:

1) PREPARE burn site according to the burn site guidelines
2) know the legal land LOCATION of your burn site
3) have a PHONE NUMBER we can call you back on if needed

Be aware that in certain cases a permit may be refused.

Quick tips on how to prepare your burn site:

Every site is different and that is why our patrolman will come visit your site to help make the burn as safe as possible. Here are some quick tips to help you get started:

  • build your pile on a hard or compact surface; exposed rock is the best

  • don't build your pile near a water drainage 

  • your pile should be no more than 5 meters in diameter and be at least 25 meters from standing timber or structures

  • there should be a cleared area of land (down to the mineral soil) around the pile to prevent the fire from spreading

  • to ensure a clean and complete burn avoid getting soil in the burn pile 

What do you need to do?

All burning (except campfires) within the Forest Protection Area must be extinguished before the start of fire season on Sunday March 1st. Now is the time to go back and check all your winter burn sites. Click here to learn more on how to prevent your winter burn from becoming a summer wildfire. 

Why do you need to check?

Through the winter months, you may have needed to conduct winter burns to remove dead vegetation, minimizing the risk of wildfires come summer.

Unfortunately, if winter burns are not done right, they can also increase the risk of wildfires. If fires aren’t properly put out, they can spread underground – up to three meters under the snow and ice – and can burn all winter. With the return of spring comes dry grass and winds, these factors add to the risk of a fire re-emerging as wildfire.

Please do your part in preventing wildfires.

Wildfire prevention discussions for oil and gas industry members

It’s that time of year when we are planning our annual wildfire prevention discussion with oil and gas industry members. Last year, wildfire prevention staff from Whitecourt’s Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) office, visited five different locations and engaged with over 300 employees. Thank you for being so engaged and doing your part in preventing wildfires!

Want to join us? We will be discussing wildfire statistics, best practices and FireSmart. Tell us what you will attend, there are two options:

1) I want to attend a meeting hosted by ESRD (located at the Whitecourt Provincial Building, 9am-10am on Wednesday, April 15th )

2) I want to have an ESRD staff member give a presentation at my safety meeting (indicate your location and preferred date(s))

If you are interested please email me.

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Your wildfire hazard updates will be posted weekly unless the hazard is HIGH-EXTREME, then the updates will be posted daily. Expect your next update on March 20, 2015.

Shannon Stambaugh | Wildfire Information Officer
Whitecourt Wildfire Management Area
office: 780-778-7273 
mobile: 780-706-5336 

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