Dustin Guedo, with Parks Canada gave the tour of the Fire Smart Area in Waskesiu (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Fire Smart

Waskesiu unveils fire smart area

Jul 17, 2019 | 5:37 PM

The federal and provincial governments have unveiled a project they hope will get people thinking about wildfire mitigation.

Wednesday morning, media were invited to the Waskesiu town site to take a tour of the Fire Smart Demonstration Area.

The area shows the work people can do to protect buildings and property from fire. This includes removing old trees and vegetation which can fuel a fire.

Jim Kerby, chair of the Waskesiu Community Council and a cabin owner in the area, said the issue of dealing with wildfires has become more prominent given recent events.

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“It was a real wake-up call for people in Waskesiu last year. The town site was really close to being evacuated because of wildfire … so I think it’s been good timing,” he said.

Kerby said he feels most residents understand the need to do work to protect the town. He added there are opportunities for people to take action on their own to protect themselves along with working with their neighbours to make their communities safer.

“We live in a boreal forest, fire is going to happen, so the question becomes what are you going to do to try and protect yourself,” he said.

Tyler Baker, general manager of the Waskesiu golf course, said they felt it was important to get involved with Fire Smart given what happened last year along with the fact the golf course has a lot of vegetation which can fuel a fire.

“You realize there’s that’s sense that it could happen any minute,” he said.

Glenn Rupert, fire management officer with Prince Albert National Park, said dealing with wildfires in a place like the park is difficult as the environment is dependent on fires in order to maintain itself. He added there are some simple steps property owners can take to protect themselves.

“Incorporating something as easy as yard clean up into an annual maintenance routine can help reduce fire spread and improve a home’s resilience to wildfire damage,” he said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn