WESTLOCK – Around a dozen Westlock-area firefighters have helped battle the wildfires which have ravaged much of the province this spring, with a town crew joining firefighters from across North America in an effort to protect a tiny rural community in northeastern Alberta.
On May 8, Town of Westlock firefighters Mathew Johnsen, Brad Watson, Nate Day, and deputy chief Kris Olsen hit the road in Engine 2 for an 840-kilometre trek northeast to Rainbow Lake to “assist with structural protection of the town” and were there until Saturday, May 13. Meanwhile Westlock County firefighters Jared Stitsen, Dean Dumbeck, Lewis Stephens and Ken Hamaliuk were deployed May 5 for a “night/early-morning operation” in Lac Ste. Anne, while on May 6, county firefighters Raegan Moon and Lewis Stephens headed to High Prairie for four days of action.
As of mid-last week, there were roughly 80 wildfires burning across the province and 24 were deemed “out of control.” So far this year, there have been 421 wildfires across the province that have burned 410,000 hectares, which is about double the average area burned in an entire season.
In a May 9 interview, Town fire chief Stuart Koflick said that last weekend following the modest precipitation in the region “we looked at our resources here in town” and decided they could send an engine and crew — typically, Koflick said they send an e-mail to the provincial emergency coordination centre letting them know they can offer help.
“I sent an e-mail to them around noonish Sunday and got an e-mail back within half an hour and then by 4 p.m., I got the call that they had been requested,” said Koflick. “Our guys committed to four days minimum … I know one had to come back for sure Saturday as he had to go to his full-time job on Sunday.”
The town crew were dispatched May 8 to the Long Lake Fire (HWF306) near the Town of Rainbow Lake which is roughly 140 kilometres due east of High Level — Koflick said they spent the night in Peace River and arrived in Rainbow Lake around noon, May 9.
As of May 11, the fire is classified as out of control and the last recorded size is 19,145 hectares — Alberta Wildfire firefighters, and air support from helicopters continue to secure containment lines to prevent it from spreading further into the community. The wildfire information pages notes, “heavy equipment and additional resources have made significant progress” creating control lines along the perimeter, while the Rainbow Lake Fire Department completed the sprinkler deployment within the town and the structural protection crews, which included the Westlock firefighters, continue to “operationalize the protection of structures within the area as the fire situation evolves.” Meanwhile, additional resources and wildfire firefighters from Alaska were arriving on scene May 11.
Koflick, who’s been fire chief in Westlock for 13 years, said that “we have the ability to help” and noted that they’ve also been involved in helping out at past fires.
“We waited a little longer this time around because the situation across the province was fluid and we did have some incidents in our own backyard. At the end of the day, we may need this help someday also. We’re all in this together and we’ve heard that many times before, but many hands make for short work,” said Koflick.
County firefighters also pitching in
Westlock County manager of protective services John Biro said the first call he received was on May 5 from “Lac St Anne Operations asking for resources” and they were able to send four members and a brush tuck.
“Crews worked endlessly through the night protecting homes threatened by advancing fire and returned the following afternoon,” he added.
Then on May 6, Biro received a call from the province requesting a tender and crew to assist with a four-day operation in High Prairie and they “assisted a taskforce consisting of an engine, tender and brush truck working through the nights protecting homes and businesses.”
On Friday, May 12, Moon, along with Alexa Biro, Perry Lumayko and Dennis Bakker headed to Grande Prairie with a Type 6 urban interface fire engine from Station 5, for a minimum of four days.
Reeve and mayor offer kudos
Both town mayor Ralph Leriger and county reeve Christine Wiese offered their thanks to not only the local firefighters, but those across the province for their hard work.
“Our fire crews have been just outstanding. It’s been a long week and I just to acknowledge them and say thank you because they’ve just been unbelievable,” said Wiese at the start of the May 9 county meeting.
“And I also want to thank all the residents who have gone out of their way to help, it’s been just fantastic,” added Coun. Stuart Fox-Robinson.
In the lead-up to Emergency Preparedness Week, which ran May 7-13, Leriger thanked “our volunteer firefighters and emergency crews for their work hard, protecting our homes and community.”
“They prepare, train, and practice all year to be able to respond in the event of emergencies. They are members of our community. They volunteer their time to support us. I am so appreciative and so proud of our fire department,” said Leriger.
