Spring rains have helped keep fires like this one from igniting so far this summer. (Submitted photo/Curtis Wailing)

By Rob Mahon

Field Fire Season

Fire department hoping quiet summer continues into harvest season

Aug 18, 2022 | 4:00 PM

A wetter spring has led to a relatively calm summer for the Prince Albert Fire Department.

As farmers prepare to go out into the fields and start their harvests, the department hopes that string of good luck will carry on into the late summer and early fall.

Ahead of harvest, the fire department does have some safety tips for farmers when it comes to fire prevention. The good news is, early on in the harvest season crops aren’t quite as likely to catch on fire.

“In the fall, as the crops are dead and drying out, they’re much more susceptible to fire than they are when they’re green and growing,” said Alex Paul, deputy fire chief with the Prince Albert Fire Department. “Keep any source of exhaust away from stubble and straw. Keep your equipment clean, make sure you don’t have any accumulation of straw, chaff, dirt, etc. around engines and bearings.”

According to Paul, buildup around anything that generates heat (including those engines) is the most common cause of fires involving farm machinery. With that in mind, having a fire extinguisher close to hand is also highly recommended.

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“It’s always wise to carry a fire extinguisher on your equipment,” Paul said. “In the cab of your combine or tractor, have a fire extinguisher handy.”

Luckily, Paul said farmers in the Prince Albert area, and throughout Saskatchewan generally, are a pretty cautious bunch when it comes to fires. While the risk of fire rises later on in harvests, actual field fires requiring their attention aren’t that common.

“We get some calls each year,” said Paul. “I would suggest it’s not a lot. We maybe get two or three calls each year for a piece of equipment that has caught fire. It’s more often a combine or a bailer that catches fire.”

In this instance, the weather has been far more helpful this year than last. Rainy weather and a late melt have kept the risk of fires relatively low.

“We haven’t seen a lot of grass fires this year,” Paul said. “We started off the spring fairly wet with quite a bit of moisture. As a result, our grass fire season was significantly reduced from what we’ve seen in previous years.”

Paul added they don’t deal with many forest fires, but the small bit of forest in their area in Little Red River Park hasn’t seen any fires this year.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP