Scott Roder and Colin Waddell are leaders of a unique eight member helitack crew. Helitack crews normally consist of four and are designed to be first to respond to wildfires with a helicopter and their pick up trucks (June 2024).
EDSON FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE
The wildfire danger in the Edson Forest Area is now HIGH. This means that forest fuels are dry and fire risk is serious. Moderate to vigorous surface fire is expected, which may spread to treetops. Conditions may be challenging for fire suppression efforts. Fire danger is a relative index depicting forest environment conditions, how a fire will behave and how much damage a fire could do. To view the forecasted fire danger map, click here.
Since January 1, 2024, there have been 59 wildfires in the Edson Forest Area burning a total of 85.79 hectares (ha).
Alberta investigates all wildfires. Of the 58 wildfires this year, nine have been caused by residents working or burning on their property, five have been caused by recreation activities, five by powerlines and three by agricultural activities. The rest remain under investigation or caused by similar industries and land users.
There has also been seven wildfires this year caused by copper wire burning. That makes up for 12% of our wildfires. We ask the public to report these wildfires to 310-FIRE to ensure the fire is completely extinguished and be reported to the RCMP due to possible illegal activities.
The area has detected an increase in abandoned campfires this month. Please make sure you fully extinguish your campfire and do not leave it unattended. The recent precipitation this spring has not been significant enough to prevent wildfires from spreading. Soak your campfire, stir the ashes and soak it again until the ashes are cool to the touch.
It's important to understand that wildfires caused by humans are rarely arson and anyone could accidently cause a wildfire. Keep watch of your surroundings when working and recreating outdoors and keep the risk of causing a wildfire to a minimum.
To learn more about wildfire classifications, click here.
Visit our website and click on the interactive map to view active wildfires, their locations and stats on the wildfire dashboard.
PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE
The fire danger is very high in the northern part of the province. It is low to moderate for the central boreal and very high to extreme in the agricultural zone. The fire danger in the Rockies is high to very high.
Since January 1, 2024 in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, there have been 479 wildfires burning a total of 31,317 ha.
Last year, on this date, there was 703 wildfires that burnt a total of 1,802,965 ha. In the past 5 years on this date, an average of 559 wildfires burnt an average of 529,868 ha.
FIRE PERMITS ARE REQUIRED
All burning within the Forest Protection Area of Alberta requires a burn permit, with the exception of campfire. You can get your free fire permit by applying online or contact your local forest area office at (780) 723-8527 or you can request your permit using the online fire permit portal.
If you plan to light fireworks or use exploding targets, you must have written permission from a forest officer. Apply for your free fire permit online or contact the forest area office. Additional restrictions may be in place within your municipality. To learn more, visit their website.
FIRESMART YOUR HOME
FireSmart is a national program that helps Canadians increase their resilience to wildfire. Whether you are a homeowner, resident, business, local government, or Indigenous community, you can take small steps with lasting impacts.
For more than 20 years, FireSmart has been developing practical, effective, and science-based programs to help people prepare themselves for wildfire. Especially those that live in or near the wildland-urban interface.
What is the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)?
The wildland-urban interface is where human development meets or mixes with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels in both remote rural locations and in urban centers. When we live, work and play in the WUI, we are more exposed to the danger of wildfire.
It is important to understand the two main components within the WUI fuel complex:
These fuels have different burning characteristic and create uniquely complex conditions when combined that affect the ignition and spread of wildfire. By understanding the complexities of these combined fuels, we better comprehend the challenges a WUI wildfire poses to firefighters.
To learn more on how you can protect your home, visit FireSmart Alberta. For farm or acreages, you can download the Farm and Acreage FireSmart magazine.
Albertans are always asked to use caution when working or recreating in the outdoors:
ALBERTA WILDFIRE INFORMATION
For more information, please contact: