Craig Gilbert | [email protected]
Jasper’s fire chief on Tuesday warned politicians the town is under equipped as the 2018 fire season approaches.
Greg Van Tighem, also the town’s protective services coordinator, was before council on April 17 with a request for $150,000 to buy a second wildland-urban interface Structural Protection Unit trailer, which would be loaded with a made-for-Jasper mix of sprinklers, pumps, hoses and other tools designed to soak buildings before embers or the fire reach them.
“It was identified we’re far short of the number of sprinklers, pumps and hoses needed to do the job right,” Van Tighem said.
Deployed in the Cabin Creek area for example, the gear would be enough to cover the structures from the creek itself, which is one water source the system could draw from, to about the beginning of Stone Mountain, but that’s about it.
Bought in 2011, Jasper’s current unit was deployed during the Excelsior Fire in 2015 and protected the Maligne Tea House and hostel structures at about 75 per cent of its capacity.
The Jasper fire department and other agencies including Parks Canada and Alberta emergency management are planning a drill next Thursday that will include a test of the trailer’s capacity in the Cabin Creek neighbourhood.
The impetus for a new SPU came from a consultant-assisted review of the town’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
“The Municipality may not be able to access mutual aid resources fast enough or be able to guarantee the availability of units in time of critical need.”
In his report to council Van Tighem wrote there is enough in the emergency services reserve to cover the cost in the case that no grants for an SPU come down the pipe.
He wrote that the Alberta fire commissioner is expected to recommend that more communities purchase SPU trailers to shore up the province’s overall capacity, and that with fire season starting May 1, the trailer would be bought post-haste should council take his advice.
“We’re already doing legwork.”
Mayor Richard Ireland had a few detail oriented questions but took his fire chief at his word.
“I take it that this is the best expenditure of municipal funds that could be achieved,” Ireland said. “It’s just part of a larger plan to protect the community from wildfire, but if we had only one pot of $150,000 to spend, this is where you’d recommend spending it?”
“Yes,” Van Tighem responded.
Councillors will have the opportunity to yea or nay the buy at their next meeting, also on May 1.
Speaking of cash from on high, the town has been shortlisted for a grant to support a local FireSmart program with small projects homeowners can complete to make their corner of the park a little less flammable.
Van Tighem hopes to have six such groups of FireSmart folks, representing the different areas of the town, with a resident captain to lead each zone. He’s optimistic that grant will come through, he’ll know for sure within a week or two.
