Even though we are in spring, dry conditions persist around our area. This is why the Town of Drumheller has put in place a Fire Advisory.
According to Drumheller Fire Chief Derian Rosario, the advisory was put in place as a precautionary measure. “As we’re coming into summer, it is getting a lot warmer out. We are getting a bit of rain but an advisory is just that, an advisory. It brings back to the front of our consciousness, a bit of that fire safety stuff, how to take care of our fires, how to have a recreational fire pit in a safe manner. Also, we are starting to get a lot more visitors to the valley, so it is a great time to bring that awareness to everyone.”
Even though we had a strong snow pack over the winter, with our winds, it doesn’t take much to dry out our region, acknowledges Rosario. “Just look a the walls of the valley, you can see all that green is starting to cure of, starting to turn brown. The precipitation is very welcome, but I’m not sure what we are going to get, probably not very much being where we are. We monitor the situation very closely and if we have to advance it to a ‘restriction’ or a ‘ban’, we will. For now, it is best practice (to have an advisory) to have that safety.”
The Fire Advisory does not preclude use of fire pits, barbecues, or other recreational fires. However, recreational fire pits must conform to the Town of Drumheller Fire Bylaw 25.24, which can be viewed here.
Many regions around Drumheller have either fire advisories or fire restrictions in place due to the dry conditions, although Special Areas has removed their fire advisory as of Wednesday, May 27th. For all the updated fire advisories, restrictions, and bans, visit the Alberta Fire Bans website.
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