The FireSmart strategy has been put together and reviewed with suggestions brought forward by consulting firm CPP Environmental.
“Basically the long and the short is they've made their recommendations on what they foresee within the Town of Sundre and surrounding area” in terms of steps required to establish a two-kilometre buffer that would if not stop, then at the very least slow down the spread of a wildfire, said Patty LaPointe, the Sundre Fire Department's assistant to the chief, during a presentation to council at its June 20 meeting.
Those recommendations include but are not limited to increasing fire safety awareness and public education, identifying community leaders, removing deadwood on the east side of Snake Hill, clearing debris from the river parks and Snake Hill recreation area, educating property owners on maintaining their land to reduce the risk of wildfire as well as providing residents with a debris removal service such as a wood chipping program, she said.
“Each one of these recommendations, we are now eligible to apply to FRIAA (Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta) for grant monies. So this would cost the town virtually no money.”
But the FireSmart program is an ongoing community initiative that needs to be continued year in and year out, she said.
“We would like to start perhaps maybe even in the fall with a chipping program. First, we got to do some public education.”
The consultants also assessed the threat of wildfire by analyzing values at risk, wildfire behaviour potential, wildfire incidence, as well as firefighting capabilities within the planning area. CPP determined the threat of wildfire in the Sundre planning area is high to extreme during the spring and fall, and low to high during the summer. The lower threat level during the summer is attributed to green deciduous vegetation and green grass, according to the report.
Council carried a motion to accept as information the Wildfire Preparedness Guide and Mitigation Strategies as recommended by consultants CPP Environmental.
