WILDFIRE HAZARD
Rain and cooler temperatures have dropped the wildfire hazard to LOW for the Whitecourt Forest Area. Help firefighters by reporting wildfires -if you see smoke in the forest call 310-FIRE (3473).
Image: The colors of fall - Swan Hills area.
ARE YOU HAVING A CAMPFIRE?
When having a cooking or warming fire, remember to soak it, stir it, soak it again. Every fire matters - extinguish it properly to prevent a wildfire. Learn more, here.
Image: To fully extinguish a cooking or warming fire, simply soak the ashes, stir them, and keep soaking the ashes until they are cool to the touch.
PREVENTING A WILDFIRE IS EASY WHEN USING AN OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE (OHV)
Off-highway vehicles can start wildfires but preventing one is easy. Stop frequently during your ride, check your vehicle for the build up of grass, branches or other debris. Remove them and continue to enjoy your ride - learn more, here.
Image: Taking a break on the edge of a stream - it takes no time to clean the debris from the machine.
FIRESMART IN THE FALL
If you are living in a forested area, be aware of the wildfire risk and ways you can take action to make your home and community become "FireSmart." Here are some quick and easy ideas to help you get started:
- Regularly remove debris from your eaves. Sparks and embers can easily ignite these materials.
- Store firewood a minimum of 10 metres from any structures.
- Close in any exposed eaves, vents and soffits on your home.
- Mow and water grass within 10 metres of buildings.
Learn more at firesmartcanada.ca
LOCAL WILDFIRE UPDATE
There have been no new wildfires since August 3, 2016 in the Whitecourt Forest Area. Since April 1, 2016 there have been 36 wildfires in the Area, that have burned just over 671 hectares.
For information on the wildfire situation across the province of Alberta, visit wildfire.alberta.ca.
Visit beta.albertafirebans.ca to learn about fire restrictions or bans across the province.
Unless conditions change, your next email update will be on September 22, 2016.
For more frequent updates, check the Alberta Wildfire App for your mobile Android or Apple products. You can also subscribe to the update to have it emailed to you.
Shannon Stambaugh
Wildfire Information Officer
Mobile: 780.706.5336
email: Shannon.Stambaugh@gov.ab.ca
