Ahead of what could be the driest summer in recent history, the County of Wetaskiwin’s fire chief is preparing his team for a potentially treacherous wildfire season.
Fire chief Mike Zajac said the province is predicting that this season — which began March 1 — will be 10 times drier than previous years.
“I’ve reached out to all of our other local fire chiefs, not just within our county, but other counties as well talked about preparations and our readiness and let them know that we’re ready,” Zajac said.
“If they need help, they can call us and vice versa.”
While there’s no system to precisely identify the severity of future fires, Zajac said the risks are high in the summer ahead.
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“I don’t have a system that we use in that regard, per se, but I would just say the level of risk … it’s high or it will be high once it becomes really dry,” Zajac said.
The county has 32 trucks that will be ready for deployment if required. Additionally, there are 110 on-call volunteers across Wetaskiwin, Millet and the county ready for the job, Zajac said.
The county this year has also purchased two water pumps worth $9,000 to be prepared for a potential major fire.
When asked what locals can do to keep fire risks low, Zajac suggested residents keep their yards clean and remove dried bushes or grass.