WESTERN PRODUCER — Saskatchewan public safety officials are reminding residents to be prepared for potential wildfires this spring.
In a briefing for reporters earlier this month, the Public Safety Agency’s Chris Clemett said people should fire-proof their property now.
“Areas in southern Saskatchewan, which have been snow free for several weeks and were not impacted by the recent spring storms are at a higher risk of grass fires occurring until dead and dry vegetation turns green,” he said.
“Jeanette Krayetski, manager of intelligence and situational awareness, said this time of year can be a high-risk time for fire south of the northern provincial forest.
“Those fires, because of Saskatchewan’s spring winds, can quickly become uncontrollable,” she said. “We ask people to be extremely careful when they are working out on the landscape.”
Human activity causes about half the fires in the province each year; lightning causes the other half.
Krayetski said rural landowners should call the controlled burn line if they are planning to burn anything and be aware of the wind.
Bryan Chartrand, executive director of land operations, said staff are monitoring the location of the large fire last fall near Hudson Bay for the possibility of so-called zombie fires or green islands that may re-ignite now that the snow is gone.
“That has been a concern to us, just with the drought conditions last fall,” he said. “Once we have aircraft available, we’ll be doing patrols and be scanning and checking out these fires just for any potential hot spots.”
“ Krayetski said communities should assess their risk and take preventive measures, including, “updating their emergency plan and having a plan in the event that something does escape and may threaten their community or their RM, that their plans are up to date, that they’ve looked at notification systems to the citizens that live within those areas.”.
