With the early onset of temperatures which usually don’t show up until the summer, and dangerously low humidity levels, the RM of Estevan is among the many municipalities in Saskatchewan taking precautions against the extreme wildfire hazards faced by many in the Prairies.
As of last Thursday afternoon, a fire ban has been instated in the RM of Estevan and the RM of Benson.
“Right now, all open burning or controlled burns in the RM are totally banned. This includes incinerators for farms, acreages or hamlets,” said fire Chief Dale Feser. “All burning barrels and all fireworks are also banned.”
Feser said that exemptions to the ban include camp stoves, and solid and liquid fuel barbecues.
“Should you be using solid fuel barbecues, or any campfire stoves of that nature, you have to have someone present with something that can put out a fire,” said Feser. “You have to have some water in place, there.”
Feser said the ban does not affect the City of Estevan. He added that the bans were put in place specifically as a response to the intense heat and lack of humidity creating conditions that easily produce wildfires.
“We’ve been out on a fairly steady basis, doing just about three calls a day, for the most part,” said Feser. “And extinguishing grass fires, what we take into consideration is the government website’s information, which actually gives us our burn-spread ratings.”
Burn-spread rating is a measure of how quickly a fire is likely to spread, taking weather conditions into account. Feser said Estevan Fire Rescue looks at that measurement, in addition to the crossover condition of the area.
“Crossover condition is when the relative humidity is at or below the ambient temperature,” said Feser. “Once it’s at or below that, it actually creates an extreme environment, where all the vegetation out there is extremely flammable and not easily managed.”
Feser noted that on Thursday, the RM of Estevan was in an extreme crossover condition, with an ambient temperature of 33 C and a humidity level of 15 per cent. Estevan Fire Rescue monitors those measurements two to three times a day.
“When we take wind into consideration on top of that situation, that really puts us behind the eight ball,” said Feser. “We’re seeing periods of time without any moisture on the horizon. This is why we decided to put burn bans in place. Should we receive any moisture by the way of rain, or whatever the case would be, we would obviously lift the bans.”
Feser cautioned everyone in the area to be especially careful with smoking materials, and to practice prudency when using farm machinery or even driving in the RM near areas with thick vegetation, because of the ease by which a single spark can start a fire in such dry, hot conditions.
He said, “As soon as you see a fire, don’t hesitate to call 911, because we need to make sure we’re out there in a timely manner to get a stranglehold on the fire, before it becomes overbearing.”
