Wildfire Preparedness Day builds awareness

Families gathered at Gazebo Park in Blairmore on May 10 for Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, an event focused on fire prevention, community readiness and family fun. Alongside games, FireSmart giveaways and a free barbecue, residents had the chance to explore local firefighting equipment and meet mascots Spark the Fire Dog and Bertie the Beaver.

For Fire Captain and Training Officer Darryl Johnson, it was also a chance to educate the public on the importance of wildfire readiness at both the professional and household level.

“We’re actually teaching 12 members here, coming up at the end of June,” said Johnson, referring to the department’s Level 1 wildfire training course. “It’s a four-and-a-half day training session with heavy-duty wildfire operations.”

The certification, he explained, is nationally and internationally recognized. He used a model setup to walk attendees through fire behaviour, suppression strategies and home protection techniques. Johnson emphasized that wind direction, terrain and fuel types all influence how a fire moves — often in unpredictable ways.

“It doesn’t just burn from one end to the other. It hops and skips and bounces around,” he said.

Johnson, who spent nearly 30 years working in northern forests and almost 40 years in wildfire operations overall, said local fires can be active any time of year. In southern Alberta’s dry conditions, wildfires are not confined to summer months. 

“We’ve fought fire 12 months of the year,” he said.

Much of his demonstration focused on preparing homes to withstand ember showers and radiant heat, which are often more destructive than the flames themselves.

“Fire doesn’t care, it’s all just fuel,” he said, noting that many homes lost in the Kelowna wildfires were ignited by embers landing in bark mulch or on cedar shrubs planted near front doors.

Using his model, Johnson demonstrated how trees spaced at least three metres apart and pruned up to two metres above the ground can slow or stop a fire from reaching a home. This type of vegetation management eliminates “ladder fuels” — the low brush and limbs that allow fire to climb into tree canopies.

“If you’re going to live in a forest, like we do, you don’t want your house basically parked in amongst it,” he said.

He urged residents to keep their yards mowed, clear debris from under decks and choose fire-resistant building materials like stucco, metal siding or treated composite shakes. Vinyl siding, he noted, can ignite easily under heat exposure. 

Properly screened attic vents and enclosed soffits can prevent embers from entering homes. Even seemingly minor steps can make a major difference, Johnson explained. 

“Move firewood away from the house,” he said. “Stacking it right against your siding is just asking for trouble.”

He highlighted a subdivision on the west end of Coleman that narrowly avoided disaster during a past wildfire event. Though the fire raced into the area, not a single home was lost, something Johnson credited to smart landscaping decisions.

“The fires came right up to the houses and stopped,” he said. “A lot of them had rock landscaping and cleared vegetation. That saved them.”

As a certified FireSmart assessor, Johnson said he’s pleased to see more property owners embracing prevention. He recently visited a new homeowner who had already begun thinning trees and clearing fuel loads.

“You’re doing an awesome job,” Johnson said he told them. “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

FireSmart recommendations include keeping a 10-metre zone around your home clear of heavy fuels, using non-flammable ground cover instead of bark mulch, and ensuring propane tanks are located away from structures with vegetation cleared around them.

He also pointed out that some insurance providers are beginning to offer incentives or protections for FireSmart properties. Johnson said his own plan includes coverage for professional cleanup if fire retardant or gel is applied during a wildfire threat, at no extra cost.

Throughout the event, firefighters and FireSmart representatives answered questions and showed residents how to identify risks on their own properties. His message was simple but urgent: everyone living in or near the forest has a role to play in wildfire prevention.

“Maintenance is everything,” he said. “You don’t have to cut all your trees down. Just space them, prune them and don’t give the fire a way to reach your home.”

Learn more about FireSmart Canada at FireSmartCanada.ca and safe burning practices, prescribed fire and firework usage at wildfire.alberta.ca.