The words ‘Fire safety’ likely put images of a bear with a shovel and a catchy slogan in your head almost immediately. However, as fire bans and advisories began to roll out around Alberta it's time you take that cartoon bear seriously.
As of now, Strathmore is not under any sort of fire advisory or ban but the current dry spell may be changing that sooner rather than later. With Strathmore no longer requiring a fire pit permit and spring well underway, Strathmore Fire Chief David Sturgeon explains some simple ways to prevent your backyard fire from turning into a house fire.
“The biggest one, when you're making your fire, is first you go online and check the distances. It should be 10 feet from any structure or vegetation and then also have a mesh screen. with openings smaller than 1/2 inch that stops any potential big sparks from flying out.”
Other fire safety tips Sturgeon recommends residents to keep in mind are, to never leave a fire unattended, always stir and soak a fire until no embers remain, and that propane and gas-powered fire pits produce no smoke or sparks are generally safer.
Sturgeon encourages residents that are looking to construct a new firepit this summer to visit both the Alberta fire ban website and the Town of Strathmore's website to find out if any advisories are in effect and to follow the building guidelines set forth by the town.
In response to the increasingly dry weather and to combat any local fires from spreading local firefighters have been doing controlled burns. Sturgeon explains one of the benefits this brings to these Strathmore, besides fire prevention.
“Yearly we do what's called hazard reduction burning. So we take large parcels of land that may not be as manicured as the rest of the town and we'd go out and we'd burn those areas off. So you do it under controlled circumstances and then it leaves the area super black and then within literally like two to three days. It starts coming back like this crazy green color that you've never seen before and it regenerates kind of the whole grassy area.”
Before starting a campfire this summer remember these simple fire safety tips to prevent something other than your marshmallows from burning.
Tue, Apr 30, 9:30 AM
