City report outlines fire season outlook to SPC
By Lethbridge Herald on May 12, 2023.
Herald photo by Al Beeber
A wall of weeds is seen behind a fire hydrant in the Paradise Canyon subdivision.Al Beeber – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
Weather conditions aren’t creating a favourable outlook to the southern Alberta fire season, says a report presented Thursday to the Community Safety Standing Policy Committee of Lethbridge city council.
The committee consists of chair Jenn Schmidt-Rempel, vice-chair Mark Campbell, Acting Mayor Ryan Parker and Nick Paladino.
The spring hazard outlook report from Emergency Preparedness Manager Luke Palmer says several years of below normal precipitation have caused a moisture deficit in this region.
While much of the area remains designated within the “moderate drought” range, substantial precipitation is needed to this year to balance out the moisture deficit, says the report.
All “extreme drought” classifications have been removed from the area except for a small pocket near the U.S. border and only two pockets of “extreme drought” have remained.
The report says the fire season is expected to get off to a slow start but late summer and early fall having a higher likelihood for events because of dry conditions caused by the El Nino weather pattern.
The region could experience high drought conditions which increases the risk of wildfires says the report, which adds above normal temperatures are expected this year along with below normal precipitation.
The moisture deficit could increase the risk of grass fires this spring.
The Alberta fire season runs from March 1 until Oct. 31.
The Weather Network early Thursday morning issued a special weather statement stating that unseasonably hot and dry conditions will begin this weekend with the highest temperatures expected Sunday through Tuesday. Those daytime highs will be between 10 and 15 degrees C higher than normal. Temperatures are expected to climb from a high of 26C Sunday to 30C on Tuesday. The mercury will drop slightly again through Thursday but will rise to a high of 30C on the start of the May long weekend.
Palmer, speaking to the SCP from Drayton Valley where he and two other City staff along with four members of Lethbridge FEMS have been deployed, said in answer to a question from Deputy Mayor John Middleton-Hope that West Lethbridge is considered most vulnerable in the city to wildfires.
“In my opinion, it is the westside. It’s the natural vegetation that’s over there, it’s the cottonwoods that are over there, it’s exposure to the high winds speeds that predominantly do come from the west or southwest. So we do that if there’s an ignition of some sort, there’s a lot of fuel and there’s a lot of climate derivatives that will make that probably a little bit more susceptible. The west side is just so open,” Palmer said.
He said there are grant opportunities in terms of mitigation and one item that’s been discussed has been a firebreak on the westside which would consist of a pathway stretching from West Highlands south to Sunridge with a concrete barrier wall on the inside of it.
The path would create a defensible space for the fire department to access those areas they can’t get to and the concrete wall would serve as a firewall at the same time, Palmer said.
He reiterated that wildfire is the No. 1 threat in the city, saying that the sheer numbers of fires in Alberta this year is both astounding and concerning.
Palmer’s report says the number of wildfires caused by humans has declined during the past five years but 61 per cent of all blazes were human-caused, with lightning the cause of 38 per cent. One per cent are still under investigation.
Palmer’s report says several factors will impact the potential for river flooding with the highest risk being from mid-May to mid-June but daily precipitation forecasts are important for predicting that. The report says flooding is unlikely disrupt essential infrastructure in the city. It says snow on the ground in mountains is considered average.
The SPC received correspondence on the outlook from city resident Dennis Chinner who in a letter pointed out his concern about the potential for “a very severe fire hazard incident” in the Paradise Canyon neighbourhood in West Lethbridge.
“The issue of unmaintained, completely overgrown noxious weeds, grass, thistles and previous years dead ground cover combined with the extremely dry conditions and a single lane entrance and exit into this area is a disaster waiting to happen. We have farming operations on both sides of the entrance road, native prairie grasslands, an abundance of deadfall from uncut weeds and non native species of ground cover including grasses and weeds that have grown since the topsoil has been stripped to allow development of this area,” wrote Chinner.
In his letter Chinner said he has petitioned the City weed control authority for the previous two summers “with very little success” to address the issue on undeveloped property owned by the City, a developer and home builders.
“My issue is the city uses the excuse they have no authority to enforce existing property bylaws as the property in question is larger than 10 acres.”
Chinner wrote that according to a letter from the provincial government the City does have authority to control weeds and overgrowth in that area.
That letter, provided by Chinner from Alberta Environment and Parks, states the City “can issue an Inspector’s Notice for property within city limits.”
Chinner said he believes a strategy needs to be developed by the city to prevent a fire situation from developing.
“With the city, county and province all having fire bans in place, I strongly believe the time is now to design, implement and enforce a viable strategy to prevent an extreme wildfire outbreak before it happens. All it takes is a spark from a piece of
farm machinery, kids playing with matches, a spark from a rock thrown off a lawnmower blade, or a recklessly thrown cigarette butt during a prevailing west wind and we will have a potential disaster on our hands.
“I don’t think any of you want a Fort McMurray or any of the current fires burning out of control in our province to happen in Lethbridge, so I hope you will take the required actions to deal with this situation. I am not the only resident in our area who share these concerns and we are not prepared to let another summer pass by without expressing our concerns to other residents of our community,” he wrote.
Parker said Chinner’s letter does “make some valid points.”
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The City of Lethbridge is extremely negligent in the matter of fire safety. On a walk through the river valley parks, one will see massive amounts of deadwood laying everywhere. These fallen, dead trees are great fuel for s wildfire, and should be cleaned up, and long grass and weeds cut. The City should be in line for a huge lawsuit, should some homes be lost to a wildfire.
I have watched that build over the years and you are right there is lots of fuel piled up, especially by the river in Indian Battle park and over by the water treatment plant. Add to that the fact the many of the old trees there are dying off and highly flammable. Our riverbottom trees are dying off with now new ones growing in Indian Battle Park.
Also, there is an encampment 300 meters south-west of the Galt museum in the coulees that has been there for a month, with multiple complaints made, but no one cleaning it up and it has increased in numbers and they burn pallets there that they have dragged down, as I witnessed, from a few downtown businesses who leave them out behind their buildings (not a good idea).
The fire deparment had to respond last fall to a fire there, taking over 40 minutes to extinguish it and it very well could make it all the way up to the displays at the Galt outside.
These people hang around on the pathway benches by the Galt so residents in the two seniors homes do not feel comfortable walking around their as well.