Next year FIRE season.

[Old Boy]

I wonder how many towns in BC. and ALTA. are making fire guards around their towns. Looks less moisture again this winter. Might be bad again next summer.

 

[Mike270412]

Making a fire break around a town?????What a great idea!!!!!
Can't believe no one got roasted over the Fort Mac fire. I'm the farthest thing from a fire expert ,but after Slave Lake it just blows my mind that a fire got anywhere near a big city,never mind destroying a big part of it.

 

[sc800]

I wonder how many towns in BC. and ALTA. are making fire guards around their towns. Looks less moisture again this winter. Might be bad again next summer.

A little early to assume less moisture this winter? Winter does not start till Dec 21? Still early old boy!

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[Merc63]

Been raining here all October lol. Guys were riding revy in October and if it didn't get warm we'd all be riding by now.

 

[freeflorider]

Sadly not many...interface fire protection is a big deal but as the snow falls the half wit brains around here feel safe and head to the hills. Not untill hot weather comes around that the town starts to feel the heat ...not to mention this area is apposed to cutting down trees as many hippy tree huggers feel they won't burn and we need to save them.
oh well I'm tree free at my house and having a long list of big dozers/hoes at my disposal I'm sure I can plow a mote around the property.

 

[teamgreen]

Making a fire break around a town?????What a great idea!!!!!
Can't believe no one got roasted over the Fort Mac fire. I'm the farthest thing from a fire expert ,but after Slave Lake it just blows my mind that a fire got anywhere near a big city,never mind destroying a big part of it.

Oh I think a few people have been "roasted" over the Fort McMurray fire. BUT, as an ex-resident and Firefighter, nobody would have ever imagined a fire of that magnitude.
That fire jumped fire breaks that were huge. It jumped rivers four hundred metres wide. It jumped 4 lane highways that has huge medians.
One of the beautiful things about Fort McMurray was its interaction with nature. Many houses were just a hop, skip and a jump from the forest and its many walking paths. The residents loved it as it made a working mans city also a playground. Like many places, people would be up in arms if someone was to come in and start knocking over trees just feet from your back yard.
Some people will learn, and adapt to the changes that will be made. Others will not, and disasters like this will hit them again.

It took me a few minutes to just write this as I got lost in thought. I was in Fort McMurray for my nieces birthday when the initial fire started. I was one of the first crews up there to support the Fort McMurray Fire Department in who I used to work for. I was also one of the first people to the Wabamun Lake Derailment in 2005. I worked through the Manitoba floods in 2011. Its been an interesting career that I have experienced so many things.

 

[Old Boy]

I am in same boat as you READY for what comes. freefloride.

 

[Old Boy]

Thanks teamgreen. After all this we still sit and wait. The other day watched a train go through Canmore the speed it went its going to be trouble.

 

[Ronaha]

I was following the fire initially on the news before it came to town.they were predicting a wind change that afternoon to north west 40-50 kmph, and I knew just how crunchy dry the bush was.....I could piece together what was going to happen next just wondering why nothing was done to get people out sooner,at least no one got hurt.

 

[ferniesnow]

The District (town) of Elkford is going through the provincial fire mitigation program with the "thinning of trees" and general cleanup of bushy areas in an around the town. I get a discount on my private insurance because of this.

When one looks at the big picture and the driving force of a large fire, there is no way in hell that this program is going to prevent the next "big one". It is great for the small local fires that are set and can be reached in a hurry but the run away fire coming up or down the valley will have nothing to stop it. We are like Ft. Mac in that we live at the end of the road. If a fire were to start south of us, it could cut off the valley and our easy exit. We could exit north toward Kananaskis as those did in Ft. Mac towards Ft. McKay but where does that get 3000 people? Like teamgreen says, "the big one will jump most anything" and unless the conditions are in the firefighters favour there will be more towns like Slave Lake and Ft. Mac.

As for the moisture part, I'm thinking in our part of southeastern BC we are moisture laden. In 15 years our average summer rain fall has been between 5-10" (the year of the 2013 flood we had 13") in my gauge in the back yard. This year we had 17" in that little mickey mouse gauge. Like sc800 pointed out, little early to really tell for next year.

 

[DRD]

If it's driven like the Mac was with wind and dry conditions you aren't going to doze a firebreak big enough


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[johnnytrail]

Ummm it's pretty Frikin wet in the bush of north Central alberta right now !

 

[rzrgade]

Could be the wettest fall in 30 years ....


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[DaveB]

Could be the wettest fall in 30 years ....


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1/3 the crops around here are still on the fields. Many farmers bought or rented tracks for their combines....I saw one guy towing his (self propelled) combine with one of those tracked Cat ag tractors....didn't matter he was crushing down 1/4 of the crop....just getting it off.

 

[rzrgade]

Up here & more west 75% are still out ... Lots under large pools of water!



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[teamgreen]

I was following the fire initially on the news before it came to town.they were predicting a wind change that afternoon to north west 40-50 kmph, and I knew just how crunchy dry the bush was.....I could piece together what was going to happen next just wondering why nothing was done to get people out sooner,at least no one got hurt.

I believe that they thought they could get it under control during the nighttime hours. When I left Fort McMurray on May 2, my brother had been called in to help fight the fire. My sister in law was worried about possible outcomes. We had a long talk about what to take in case of evacuation. She was one of the first to start leaving, she had her valuables packed, and a 3 year old and three month old in the van. She has less then 2 years driving experience, and had never driven on the highway before. I talked to her on bluetooth as she drove as my brother was working. I think it has changed how many people think in regards to having plans and backup plans when it comes to natural disasters.

 

[moyiesledhead]

The weather forecast for today changed 4 times since last Monday. Just sayin'.

 

[DaveB]

The weather forecast for today changed 4 times since last Monday. Just sayin'.

You're not suggesting that the "meteorologists" can't predict the weather accurately several months in advance, are you?

 

[arff]

I was sent to Kelowna in 2003 and Fort Mac this year for the fires.

With weather and wind changes the wild fires can jump a very large fire guard.




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[slededjr]

I was sent to Kelowna in 2003 and Fort Mac this year for the fires.

With weather and wind changes the wild fires can jump a very large fire guard.




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Agreed, but if there were a fire break around the area, when the fire first started and wasn't as big it may have helped. Once it was as big as it got indeed it's a lot harder to control. Sure are a lot of breaks all over the place now up there. A nice 2km wide break around the city could do some good.