Cypress County explains how fire restrictions are decided, temporarily downgrades ban

By Medicine Hat News on August 30, 2024.

@MedicineHatNews

Medicine Hat News

Cypress County has downgraded a fire ban, but won’t take down signs as it will likely return next week.

The county announced Thursday that a “fire restriction” is now in place after some rain in the region and an update from Alberta Wildfire monitoring.

That current level allows recreational campfires in pits, charcoal barbecues and burning barrels to be used, but still bars fireworks and requests residents be extra cautious.

“With the grass/fuel load being cured for the season, this moisture will not be retained in the grass,” reads a statement. “We anticipate with the weather forecast that a fire ban will return by middle of next week.”

Jason Linton, emergency services co-ordinator and fire chief for Cypress County, explained that residents may expect more frequent changes in the status of a ban or restriction, as the county is working off daily fire risk updates from the province.

“The Alberta government gives out data daily to all municipalities, and the data used to only be collected for the forest protection areas of the province, and as we’re not in the FPA, we used to have no data provided,” said Linton. He continued on that, starting this year, the county has received new information each day at roughly 3 p.m, including index maps, moisture content, fuel load and forecasts of weather and precipitation.

Linton said the aim is to remain consistent in using this provincial data, as well as the decisions they make based on it. So far, this has been a success; Linton noted that Cypress and Elkwater made the same decision following recent rain without speaking to each other.
He predicts residents may see more changes in levels of restriction throughout the province as more municipalities use this data. The data is publicly available for view at alberta.ca/fire-danger.
A ban on open fires remained in place as of Thursday in the Alberta portion of Cypress Hills Interprovincial park.

Fire bans or restrictions are in place in most rural municipalities in southwest Saskatchewan from the Cypress Hills to the RM of Chesterfield along the Alberta boundary.

Former firehall for sale

Cypress County is now accepting bids on a sizeable outbuilding that was once the Onefour Firehall, but is now considered surplus after a replacement was built.

The two-bay, 30-foot by 60-foot unserviced shop sits on a half-acre of fenced land near Range Road 20, east to Highway 41 in the deep south of the county.

Bids are being accepted until 2 p.m. on Sept. 25.

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