BARRHEAD- Barrhead area residents who want to use their burn barrel or fire pit in the backyard still have the opportunity to do so.
Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS) chief Gary Hove said that although Western Canada is in the midst of a heatwave with the Barrhead region breaking new high-temperature records almost daily, he is not ready to put on fire restrictions.
"I won't be putting in a fire control order at this time. If the heat continues and we don't get any rain, it could happen," he said.
BRFS issued a fire restriction order in the spring that lasted for about a month from April 16 to May 18.
One of the reasons why Barrhead has not issued a fire control order, whether it be an advisory, restriction, or ban, while others in the region have done so, is due to differences in terrain.
"We have a lot more agricultural land and not a lot of big, freestanding trees compared to some other municipalities in our region. Most of the trees we have in the county are to the northwest are under provincial as part of the Forest Protection Area."
Whitecourt has issued a fire ban, while Mayerthorpe and Lac Ste. Anne County are under fire advisories. Westlock County and Athabasca are also under fire restrictions.
And although the heat prolonged heat has not created the need for the BRFS to issue a fire control order, Hove said he has noticed that firefighters are responding to more heat stress medical assist calls.
Fortunately, while the number of medical calls has increased, firefighters have had to respond to relatively few fire-related incidents.
Two noticeable exceptions were a June 26 tractor-trailer vehicle fire and a June 29 holiday trailer fire. There were no injuries at either incident.
The vehicle fire was on Highway 18 at the vehicle turnout near Campsie.
"Two cattle haulers had parked there for the night. They were outside their trucks at about 5 a.m. planning their day when one of them noticed that one truck was on fire," Hove said.
He added drivers were able to mitigate the damage by disconnecting the trailer and moving it away from the burning truck.
The holiday trailer fire was at the Barrhead Golf and Recreation area at about 1:30 p.m.
Hove said a person in the RV camping area heard the smoke alarm and called 911. They also removed the propane tanks and relocated a vehicle in front of the stall.
When fire crews arrived they saw smoke but no visible flames.
“Crews quickly stretched a hand line to the front door of the trailer and gain entry. Finding the fire quickly they extinguished it and searched for any extension into the ceiling. Members then used a positive ventilation fan to remove the smoke from the unit. The crew did a good job and put out the fire right away and limiting the damage," Hove said.
An electrical issue is believed to have caused the fire.
As for other activities, Hove said a group of firefighters are in the final stages of completing their National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001 certification.
"We are working on perfecting their skills. They should undergo their testing sometime in September," Hove said. "Other than that, we continue our regular training. Right now, we are doing lots of pump operating training for we have more people to operate the trucks."
The NFPA is a non-profit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The NFPA 1001 course sets the standard for certification for professional firefighters.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
