The Chuckegg Creek Wildfire burned over 350,000 hectares of forest in 2019 (Photo: Alberta Wildfire)

By Shaun Penner

Wildfire Prevention

Premier calls for understanding of fire, OHV ban

Apr 16, 2020 | 5:30 AM

Premier Jason Kenney says he understands that many people may be upset with the province’s decision to ban campfires and place restrictions on off-highway vehicles in Forest Protected Areas, but he adds the province simply cannot afford to have a similar battle with wildfires as it did in 2019 because of COVID-19.

On Tuesday, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Devin Dreeshen announced the preemptive restrictions, stating that last year the cost to the province for the 2019 wildfire season was over $600 million. A lot of that was spent battling fires here in the Peace Country, including the Chuckegg Creek fire that burned over 350,000 hectares of forest in the High Level area.

With nearly three-quarters of last year’s fires being caused by humans, either purposefully or inadvertently, Kenney says this is why the province must be preventative when it comes to wildfires this time around.

“We faced massive wildfires last year, which risked human life and caused an enormous drain on our emergency resources. We had to fly in extra firefighters from all across the world, actually, as far away as Australia, to cope.”

With travel restrictions that are likely to be in place for some time, Kenney notes that the likelihood of being able to get firefighters from other countries like it did last year isn’t very high. However, Minister Dreeshen did announce on Tuesday a $5 million investment into training additional wildfire fighters here in Alberta.

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But Kenney did note that due to COVID-19 self-isolation and quarantine requirements, the province could still be left with an inadequate number of personnel to properly deal with wildfires.

“Our available workforce is way below where it would normally be.”

Also noting COVID-19’s tendency to affect those with pre-existing health conditions, especially those with respiratory issues, Kenney says the reduction of air quality would be yet another detriment in the fight against the disease.

“We cannot risk a massive deterioration of air quality, when we are coping with a virus that attacks people who already have compromised respiratory systems,” exclaimed Kenney. “That could further add to the burden on our healthcare system at this time.”

A $600 fine can be laid to anyone who contravenes the fire ban in Forest Protection Areas. Anyone who is non-compliant with the ban on OHV use in these areas faces a fine of $1200.

A map showing where the fire bans are in place can be found here. Fires are still permitted in the City of Grande Prairie as long as you have a fire permit.

“We’re all having to make various kinds of sacrifices, and one sacrifice we ask some people to make is to delay their normal enjoyment of the outdoors on OHV’s for a period of time.”

“We have to everything we can to prevent wildfires this spring and summer. More than before.”