DUNMORE, AB – Cypress County has enacted a fire ban on Thursday morning.
The county says there is an “extreme fire hazard due to lack of precipitation, hot and dry conditions, and resource management.”
A ban on fireworks is included in the order, just days before Canada Day.
Cypress County fire chief Jason Linton says when all factors were taken into account it was an easy decision to make.
“We based it off of data and the moisture content and what the fire risk is. And the fire risk is just too extreme right now and we want to prevent fires, not do it after the fact,” he says. “I know it’s the long weekend, a lot of people like their fireworks and municipalities have fireworks. But you know Medicine Hat’s going to have fireworks. So there are places that do have fireworks but the risk is just too great to have those kinds of activities {in the county} this year.”
The ban went into effect at 9 a.m. and cancels all existing fire permits. The county didn’t issue a fire ban until after the August long weekend last year but conditions are too extreme this year, says Linton.
“The biggest thing is we don’t want to put our firefighters at undue risk because firefighting operations in 30-plus weather is very hard on firefighters. Not just house fires but wildland fires have their different risks and are extremely hard to do and taxing on firefighters,” he says.
Linton urges anyone doing any sort of agricultural work or jobs around their property to take appropriate precautions such as having a water source readily available and wetting down areas before and after the work where appropriate.
Recreational Fire Pits
Recreational fire pits are still allowed in some parts of the county, even with the ban in place. Linton says to the best of his knowledge they’ve never had a recreational fire pit start a large fire, and so they made a recommendation to council to allow recreational fire pits during a ban as long as certain conditions are met within the defined hamlets of the county.
The bylaw was updated earlier this year.
The fire must be contained to a non-combustible container set for the purpose of cooking, warmth or viewing for pleasure; sufficient water and fire suppression equipment must be on hand and the fire must be supervised at all times by a responsible individual.
As well, the county says fire pits:
Visit cypress.ab.ca for more details on the fire ban and recreational fire pits.
The City of Medicine Hat tells CHAT News it currently has no plans to impose a fire ban and will maintain regular safety measures for Canada Day events, including site inspections, to ensure patron safety.
