Firefighters preparing for hot and dry conditions in coming days

St-Onge stated, “Our teams on the ground have been working hard to prepare for more challenging conditions. Firefighters have been building fire breaks around communities and making use of firefighters coming in from outside the province.”

She added that the province is expected to see more hot and dry conditions over the coming days, which could lead to more intense wildfire activity. However, St-Onge said, “Conditions can change quickly, and our fire weather and fire behaviour experts are watching them closely.”

She noted that lightning strikes within the last few days could lead to more fires.

“Lightning-caused fires can smolder for days and ignite when the conditions are hot, dry, and windy. Responding to these new wildfires will be a priority,” St-Onge explained.

With hotter conditions on the way, she said Albertans can do their part to help by respecting fire bans in effect, as well as any off-highway vehicle restrictions in the Forest Protection Area.

“We want our firefighters to be able to focus on the wildfires that are already burning on the landscape instead of responding to new ones.”

St-Onge said there are currently over 1,000 wildland firefighters, heavy equipment, and helicopter operators responding to blazes across Alberta. Crews from other areas of Alberta, and outside of the province have been deployed to help.

She said, “More than 300 wildland firefighters have come from Parks Canada, British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Yukon, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and United States. We are expecting another 200 firefighters to arrive from the United States tomorrow [May 13, 2023].”

EXTRA HELP

Military assistance has also been deployed to the Grande Prairie and Drayton Valley areas. Military personnel are helping with mop-up operations, welfare suppression, and basic firefighting duties.

St-Onge commented, “Over 200 soldiers are already hard at work, and about 100 more are expected to start working in the coming days, including in the Fox Creek area.”

The current status of wildfires in the province is available at the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard. Updated wildfire information from the province is available at the Government of Alberta website.

Earlier on Friday, May 12, the province announced that it would be removing the cost of replacing identification for wildfire evacuees who may have lost items such as their driver’s license during the evacuation process.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is offering support to evacuees and all those impacted by the wildfires. People can text the word ‘wildfire’ to 88111 and receive information via text about staying safe, emergency planning, and remaining healthy.

Executive director of Health Link, Carolyn Grolman said, “We want to provide information to Albertans in a variety of ways, increasing access to and connecting them to information they need, when they need it, regardless of where they are located.”

“This additional resource will help ensure instant accessibility of important wildfire information in a time when thousands of Albertans are displaced.”

Additionally, Albertans can sign up for the Text4Hope program to receive free messages of support every day. To join, individuals can text HopeAB to 393939.

Mental health supports are available by calling 1-877-303-2642. A toll-free Indigenous Support Line is available in the AHS North and South zones at 1-844-944-4744.

Until Sunday, May 14, the provincial government is hosting telephone town halls. They take place each night beginning at 7:30 p.m. and allow officials to provide updates and answer questions or address concerns from displaced Albertans.

by Justin Goulet

Firefighters preparing for hot and dry conditions in coming days

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