As if trash and potholes weren’t enough to deal with, the return of spring has meant the return of yet another civic nuisance: grassfires.
The situation is bad enough in the surrounding area that North Battleford Fire Department has been prompted to take action.
As of Tuesday, a fire ban is now in effect in North Battleford and the surrounding RM of North Battleford in the wake of continued dry and windy conditions this spring. The ban is in place on open-air burning.
The ban was issued the day after the city’s Planning Committee heard the monthly report of Fire Chief Albert Headrick on Monday. At that meeting, it was clear grassfire incidents were on his mind.
“It’s starting,” Headrick told council about the situation, as he mentioned the fire department had responded to a grassfire call earlier that day.
While Headrick did not mention which particular fire it was, it was reported that North Battleford Fire Department responded to a grass fire about eight kilometers north on Highway 4 at around 1 p.m. (The fire department had also dealt with a grass fire situation on 109th Street on Friday.)
Councillor Greg Lightfoot later noted there had been a major grassfire at Paynton that day. Fire departments from Paynton and Maidstone dealt with that large blaze that disrupted traffic on Highway 16.
That situation had Lightfoot concerned. “It could be a bad season for grassfires,” he said.
Lightfoot was concerned about the continuing warm and dry conditions. He asked if there were any fire bans on and Headrick said it was his understanding there were some bans in place in the RMs.
Headrick said he would do an analysis of the situation Tuesday.
He explained if the ground is still wet and the frost was still coming out, “that creates an issue for us if there is grassfires because basically we go out there, our vehicles are going to sink. But the grass is very dry.”
The next day, the fire ban was issued by the fire department, affecting the use of open-air burning such as intentionally set fires on agricultural fields or on lawns.
People can still use their legal fire pits but the fire department recommended following a few simple steps: always supervise the fire, have an adequate supply of water to extinguish or control the fire, to properly extinguish the fire after use and to pay close attention to wind conditions and potential spark hazards.
Headrick also advised keeping dry vegetation and combustibles away from buildings, to refrain from using spark and flame producing equipment, to be cautious with discarded fireplace ashes and smoking materials, and to report suspicious activity or suspected fire starters to RCMP or municipal enforcement (306-445-1775).
The fire ban is in effect until further notice.
Also at Monday’s meeting, Headrick outlined plans for some controlled burns in order to cut down on the risk of wildfires spreading.
There has been money set aside from the Fire Smart program and the intention is to do burns in areas where there is a particular hazard. The City was planning to work collectively with the town of Battleford on those efforts, but his comments Monday were before the fire ban took effect.
