With the risk of fire danger now considered to be very high, Red Deer Emergency Services is asking residents to exercise extra caution due to dry conditions in the region.
The fire risk, determined by Alberta Climate Information Services, provides current and historical weather data from provincially and federally run weather stations. The risk of fire danger can range from low to moderate, high, very high and extreme.
The City of Red Deer will not be issuing burn permits with wind, warm temperatures and no precipitation forecast for next week and dry conditions likely to worsen.
Curtis Schaefer, Red Deer Emergency Services assistant deputy chief, said crews have responded to about four or five small grass or brush fires in the last 10 days, with the last on Wednesday evening. But these reports are normal for this time of the year.
“This time of year we’re always heightened to ensure that we’re prepared and ready to respond as needed to any reports of grass fires or brush fires,” Schaefer said.
He said these fires typically happen in wooded areas where there is longer grass.
“Most of the fires we get, people report them very quickly in the city which is excellent. The diligence of our citizens is appreciated to alert us early and we’re able to get on scene and control the fire very quickly.”
Red Deer Emergency Services will continue to be cautious, he said.
“Our prevention branch is keeping an eye on the moisture level and reports from the provincial government to ensure that we’re doing our best to ensure our citizens are safe.”
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Residents are asked to do their part to reduce the risk of fire by:
• Never throwing out cigarettes into easily combustible materials, such as vegetation, potted plants or landscaping, peat moss, dried grass mulch, leaves, or similar items. They can easily catch fire.
• Placing smoking materials in deep, sturdy ashtrays,
• Never tossing smoking materials on the ground, in a garbage, or in a dry, grassy area, as they can smolder undetected for days before igniting a fire.
• Ensuring fire pits are properly monitored and fully extinguished.
• Learn more about proper use of fire pits by reviewing the rules and regulations in the Fire Permit Bylaw.
Schaefer said improper disposal of smoking materials is the city’s biggest concern as it’s the one of the more frequent causes of fire in general, both wildland and for buildings.
“Just be diligent,” he added.
While a fire ban is not in place at this time, Red Deerians are encouraged to monitor the fire ban status by visiting www.albertafirebans.ca.
Due to drought conditions across the province, Red Deerians are also encouraged to follow voluntary outdoor water restrictions starting May 1. For more information visit www.reddeer.ca/drought.
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Andy Yun, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said as of April 24, the city has only received 2.6 mm of precipitation. The normal amount for April is about 25 mm and there is no precipitation forecast for the coming days.
“We’re running at about 10 per cent of normal for the month of April,” Yun said.
Red Deer also saw well below normal precipitation in March with 9.4 mm, or less than 50 per cent of normal which is 19 mm. In February there was 7.7 mm of precipitation, or 63 per cent of the normal 12 mm.
Other than a 30 per cent chance of showers on Thursday evening, there is no moisture in seven-day forecast.
“If there are any showers or snow that come down, it will be way further to the west in the foothills and mountain areas. Certainly, for the Red Deer area and the central part of Alberta, it’s pretty dry.”
Temperatures will hover near or above normal so at least there won’t be extreme heat, Yun said.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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