Dear Editor
The government is putting the safety of communities, families and property in northern Saskatchewan at risk by eliminating all of our fire tower observers.
The plan is to replace people, trained, experienced and dedicated professionals, with automated video cameras. The government claims their primary concern is the safety of the fire tower workers, but the workers themselves say there are guidelines and procedures they follow that keep them safe.
Government says automation will be cost effective. The initial estimate for getting the system up and running is $1.5 million. Then there will be the cost of ongoing maintenance. High tech computer systems that are supposed to work in extreme weather conditions will probably require a great deal of trouble shooting. Will the repair and maintenance be done by helicopter? If so, how cost effective will that be?
But the most important concern is the need to keep the public and our forests safe. There are no successful automated fire tower systems operating in Canada. The government has pointed to Oregon as a place that is using video surveillance for fire detection. While Oregon has moved into video camera systems in parts of the state, fire tower lookout personnel continue to be a critical component of their fire prevention program and many are hired every season.
There seems to be little evidence that replacing workers with video cameras is a safe and reliable approach. In the meantime, northern communities will lose jobs that help support families, businesses and communities.
Tim McKay,
Dorintosh
