Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
The Municipality of Jasper is calling on residents to remove combustible debris from their yards and balconies during Community-Wide FireSmart Day on May 1.
The goal of FireSmart Day is reducing the threat of wildfire to the town, primarily by removing as much combustible material as possible.
鈥淥n that day in particular, we鈥檙e encouraging people to carry out these FireSmart measures on their properties or on their homes,鈥� said Greg Van Tighem, director of protective services with the municipality.
On FireSmart Day, the municipality鈥檚 operations department is offering a community dump run to remove yard waste and debris that was collected that day, with details to be determined regarding what will be collected and where collection points will be.
Local FireSmart Representatives are also offering virtual home assessments to give tips answer any questions residents may have about FireSmarting.
Alberta鈥檚 wildfire season begins March 1 and often sees massive blazes with notable recent ones including Slave Lake in 2011, Fort McMurray in 2016 and High Level in 2019.
鈥淥ver the last five or six years, Jasper has been quite fortunately to have relatively wet summers and relatively low-hazard fire seasons,鈥� Van Tighem said.
鈥淗owever, that can change at any time.鈥�
One FireSmart suggestion is to rake and remove pine needles, dry leaves and other combustible debris from within 1.5 metres of neighbourhood homes.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one area where people can really make a lot of improvement in Jasper because a lot of people, innocently enough, they got these little garden beds that are surrounding the foundation of the house,鈥� Van Tighem said, noting some highly flammable plants include junipers and cedars.
As well as vegetation, combustibles can include lawn furniture, piles of wood for firepits and extra lumber from previous building projects.
These items can either be moved or replaced by none-combustible alternatives.
Woodpiles should be at least 10 metres from structures, while debris should be removed from porches decks, roofs, gutters and under structures.
For mature trees, hand pruners and loppers can be used to remove branches up to two metres from the ground, so long as at least two-thirds of the tree鈥檚 branches remain.
Because of COVID-19, most of FireSmart Day will be virtual and participants must adhere to public health measures, such as social distancing and gathering limits.
鈥淲e wanted it to be a community-wide event that everybody could do together but stay apart,鈥� Van Tighem said.
鈥淣ow with COVID people are getting a little tired of being cooped up inside, and getting outside and doing some work around your is a good, heathy way to participate in community safety but also (promote) your own mental wellbeing and your own health. It鈥檚 a win-win.鈥�
Residents with questions about fire prevention can call the fire department at 780-852-1595.
More suggestions and virtual resources can be found at
