Whitecourt Fire Department FireSmart summer students hard at work

 

FireSmart summer students are currently working in Centennial Park doing maintenance work on previous FireSmart projects. Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Andrusiak said that though signs are out to warn the public, he wants to make sure that people are aware of the activity. If you happen to come across the group and their machinery, he advises the public not to approach them until they have made eye contact with the crew. “Don’t approach them until they see you. Get their attention first, and they will make sure that the area is safe for you to come through.”

 

In previous years, crews were doing straight FireSmart treatments which included removing dead and downed trees, cutting out ladder fuels (low branches), and spacing out coniferous trees. This year, thanks to another grant from the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FIFAA), the crews are doing maintenance and mulching up anything that remains on the ground from previous cuts. Some residents have expressed concern for the mulch that is left behind.

 

“I can see where people can be confused about that in seeing some of the treatments we’ve been doing. We try and keep combustible materials away from structures and mulch is fuel. What we’ve done is convert the fuel (low branches, dead, and downed trees) into a less hazardous fuel,” explained Deputy Chief Andrusiak.

 

He said residents could see the difference between this year’s mulching and last year’s mulching by just taking a walk through the park. “The undergrowth is coming through, and you can see the difference. It breaks down quite quickly in the bush because it’s not treated. It’s natural wood that has been mulched up, and it decomposes a lot quicker and reduces the fire hazard in the bush.” Unlike mulch that some residents use in landscaping which is treated and tends to stay very dry, the natural mulch can retain moisture.

 

On top of the maintenance work, the crew is also dealing with the aftermath of the strong, sustained winds from June 11. “I’m not sure what the gusts were approaching, but I know that at times they were over 60 km/h, so there were quite a few trees blown down around the community. Our summer students have been going around in the zones and addressing the blowdown, so it has increased their workload, but they are working hard to tackle it.”

 

The crew will be working throughout the community all summer. “We have an awesome group of four summer students this year. Three of them are returning summer students from last year, Tristan Carlson, Dylan Opsal, and Tristan Bryson, and they’ve done a great job for us. We hope we can get them back next year, too. The fourth summer student is new, Matthew Nakucyj, and I hope to get him back next year, too. They are four very hard-working guys.”