According to an Elk Valley fire expert, it’s not about preventing forest fires, but rather preventing disasters from reaching our doorsteps.
Alan Westhaver has seen some of the worst fires in North America and with his knowledge of wildfires, led a forensic investigation into the cause of the devastating Fort McMurray fire of 2016.
On Saturday, August 25, over 50 members of the community showed up at the St. Margaret’s Cemetery in Fernie to help create a Firesmart demonstration forest, which shows what a Firesmart forest should look like.
They achieved this by focusing on vegetation management, in order to reduce the risk of a wildfire spreading into town.
They removed dead or dry foliage from the lower forest floor, which discourages fire from climbing from the ground into the treetops.
“We picked this spot around St. Margaret’s Cemetery because this is an area that does present a risk,” said Westhaver.
“It’s a threat to the townsite, as much as the forest around us is, but this is on the leading edge of where we would expect a fire to come; approaching the town from the south, southwest, driven by the winds moving the fires around us.
“We don’t want this area to be transmitting the fire towards the townsite.”
Westhaver admitted the forest would still burn, but if it did, it would now burn at a much lower intensity.
“We shouldn’t be thinking of fire as a tsunami or an avalanche that just engulfs homes,” explained Westhaver.
“It’s not the big flames that generally do that.
“It’s not the radiant heat. It’s the embers that are generated.”
Westhaver’s time in Fernie has come to an end. He has owned a home in Fernie since 1999, but is soon to relocate.
As he and his wife prepare to depart, Westhaver knows that he leaves Fernie with a plethora of knowledge concerning wildfire prevention that the mountain town didn’t have before.
Because of his efforts and the efforts of participating volunteers and community members, the Castle Mountain neighbourhood was one of the first in the East Kootenay to become Firesmart.
Since that point earlier in the summer, there are now over a dozen neighbourhoods in Fernie that have taken on the Firesmart program.
“Wherever we’ve lived in the past, it’s been important to be a part of the community,” said Westhaver, adding that sharing his knowledge is a unique way to contribute to a place that he has lived in and loved for a long time.
Westhaver is pleased that the Fernie Fire Department has fully adopted the Firesmart program and hopes it will continue to live on and grow in the community and abroad.
“This is all about reducing risk, ahead of the fires, so that we’re less likely to lose our homes,” he said.
“I think it’s well established in Fernie, and me leaving shouldn’t make any difference.
“This program is designed to carry on… It’s up to the residents to keep on going.”
To learn more about Firesmart and about how you can apply these skills around your own home, visit Fernie.ca and search “FireSmart”.
