BANFF - As the winter snow packs melt and temperatures begin to rise, residents and firefighters alike await to see if this year will mark the third in a row turn from blue to brown with the saturation of smoke from wildfires.
The very real possibility of fire sweeping through the valley has been at the top of mind for officials for the past several months, culminating this past week with exercises, simulations and more than a few ounces of prevention.
On Wednesday (May 8), Parks Canada, Town of Banff staff and firefighters, along with Alberta’s Canada Task Force 2 turned town hall and central park into a vision of what regional response would look like should wildfire threaten the town.
Operating out of a mobile command centre provided through mutual aid by the City of Calgary, first responders went door-to-door to provide Banff residents with updated evacuation information, and also demonstrated how effective disaster response would be in the event of a real wildfire.
“Exercises like we did this week when we get all of these agencies together is all part of being a well rounded community prepared for not just fire but all sorts of emergencies,” said Banff Fire Department Chief Silvio Adamo.
An evacuation booklet with self-directed planning was part of the information provided.
Banff residents received the message positively, said first responders, but effectively battling fires starts far before first embers fall on rooftops.
Since 2003, the Town of Banff and Parks Canada have undertaken a great deal of work to identify and mitigate the dangers existing in the urban-wild land interface – the area where homes and businesses meet the forest surrounding the town.
“Being a FireSmart community isn’t just about one aspect, it’s a number of things you do in conjunction,” said Adamo.
“It’s about education, it’s about changing your legislation so that you’re doing building and landscape in a more FireSmart manner. You’re planning and being prepared, you’re working on interagency cooperation, you’re working on mitigation … All of these things tied together is what makes us effective.”
The vast majority of Banff was re-classified as high risk last year, with the entirety of Banff south of the Bow River Bridge being re-classified from medium risk in 2006.
FireSmart assessments of homes is an ongoing program provided by the Banff Fire Department, but residents in a number of communities south of the bridge banded together to take the next steps on
Saturday (May 11) to clear tens of thousands of kilograms of branches and brush that would act as fuel in a fire.
“This work is invaluable,” said Adamo.
Speaking in front of a large pile of branches weighing in the hundreds of kilograms, Bryan Howie, the community FireSmart representative for Sulphur said that it was about setting a good example for other parts of the town.
“We are on the interface zone, and I think its good to show everyone that we can play a part in protecting infrastructure,” he said.
Sulphur along with Valleyview and Middle Springs 100 through 300 were awarded FireSmart community placards for their work in making their neighbourhoods safer through similar efforts in 2018.
Adamo stressed that there are tangible benefits to both property and lives from this work.
“We’re not going to be able to get to every structure fire in a big wildfire, and this is what we see in places like Fort McMurray and Slave Lake,” he said.
“Those little mitigations around your home that you don’t think are going to make a big difference make a huge difference.”
The combined FireSmart projected expenditures for this year for the Town of Banff total of $61,100, which includes preparedness, education and a roof replacement incentive program.
The town assesses the value of residential and commercial property throughout the town at over three billion dollars.
When comparing the two, Mayor Karen Sorensen calls the FireSmart work done so far “priceless.”
“When I’m analyzing the cost of something is to always look at the value, and cost is one thing and value is something completely different,” she said.
“You couldn’t even measure the span of difference from what the FireSmart programs and emergency preparedness programs cost versus the value.”
