Whitecourt Area Update

Wildfire Hazard

October 31 marks the end of a busy Fire Season but it doesn't mean an end to wildfire hazard. The wildfire hazard is MODERATE for the Whitecourt Wildfire Management Area (WWMA).

Grass, leaves and branches on the forest floor are flammable. With the current dry conditions, a wildfire can easily start and burn deep into the root system of the soil. Once the snow comes, don't be fooled. A fire that is not properly extinguished will be kept warm by the blanket of snow, only to come back to life as a wildfire when the conditions are right.

Continue to use caution when working or recreating in the forest. Spring, summer, fall or winter we are here, call 310-FIRE (3743) to report a wildfire.

Image: October 29, wildfire number 91 burning deep into the root system of the soil.

Local Wildfire Summary | Year in Review
October 30, 2015 at 11:00am

In the last 24 hours, there have been no new wildfires in the Whitecourt WMA.

Since April 1, 2015 there have been 91 wildfires that have burned 71.40 hectares. This is the highest number of starts in the Whitecourt WMA in the last five years. Thanks to the quick response and hard work of firefighters, the largest wildfire was 31 hectares in size. This is substantially below what we consider a large wildfire (normally 200 hectares in size).

To date, 43 wildfires in the Whitecourt WMA were caused by humans working or recreating (including Off-highway vehicle use and abandoned campfires) in the forest. This means almost half of them were preventable, please do your part and help prevent wildfires.

One way you can continue to help us over the winter is to contact us if you have any concerns about a burn you are completing or if you can report a winter burn location. Please call 780-778-7272.

Provincial Wildfire Summary | Year in Review
October 31, 2015

This year, people were responsible for 58 per cent of all wildfires—over 1,000 wildfires total. Lightning sparked the other 42 per cent for a total of 1,786 wildfires this season. While this percentage is slightly below last year, it’s on par with the five-year average, and the sheer number of wildfires is higher. Click on the image below to learn more:

Fire Permits
FIRE PERMITS ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED BUT YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE...

As of October 31, you no longer require a fire permit to do any burning, excluding campfires within the Forest Protection Area (FPA). However, we ask everyone to please exercise caution when burning, check your burn site multiple times to ensure the fire is completely extinguished.

Prepare the site

• Keep piles 25 meters or more away from structures and standing trees
• Surround the pile with mineral soil guard at least 15 meters wide around the pile
• Ensure the pile is clean of dirt so it burns clean and quick

Safe burning

• Keep someone on site at all times to supervise burning and report it if it escapes
• Have adequate tools, water source and equipment on site when burning
• Only burn what you can control with the equipment and people you have
• Only burn when the wind is below 15 kilometres per hour

After you burn

• Spread out the pile
• Water down the area and ensure there is no residual heat
• Check your piles multiple times in the coming weeks to ensure it is out

Be Wildfire-Smart

Off-highway vehicles can start wildfires. Take the time to remove the buildup of grass, branches or other debris from your machine. This material can ignite, fall from your machine and start a wildfire. Areas of most concern include: exhaust and muffler systems, wheel wells, under the seat and in the engine and manifold systems. Learn more here.

Are you going hunting? When having a fire to cook lunch or to warm-up, make sure your fire is completely extinguished. It doesn't matter how small the fire is, if it is not out, it can grow. Soak it, stir it, soak it again; it should be cool to the touch. Learn more here.

FireSmart is Simple...
Find out how you can become FireSmart, click on the image below:

Do You Want to be a Firefighter?

Click here for more information.

Thank you for your support during the 2015 Fire Season!  If you have any suggestions for this update (ie. information you want to see) please contact me.

Updates will now be monthly, unless a wildfire starts or the hazard increases. This way, you will be kept up-to-date on any new developments during the off-season. You can expect your next wildfire update November 30, 2015.