Cypress County explains how fire restrictions are decided

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Ryan Dahlman

– Fire ban in place Sept. 4

Cypress County has upgraded to a fire ban as of Sept. 4.

The county announced Aug. 29 that a “fire restriction” was in place after some rain in the region and an update from Alberta Wildfire monitoring, but the return of hot and dry conditions precipitated a change in status.

A fire ban cancels all fire permits, but recreational fire pits are exempt during fire bans when the “bylaw conditions are met within the defined hamlets” of Cypress County. The order amends any previous fire control orders. According to the County, the fire ban in necessary as there is an extreme fire hazard due to lack of precipitation, hot and dry conditions, and issues related to resource management.

A person who wilfully sets an open fire, or any fire not allowed under the order, may be charged under the Forest and Prairie Protection Act and Cypress County Bylaw 2023/06. If the person is the owner or occupant of the land on which the fire is set, those costs may be recovered by placing the costs on the tax roll and recovering them in the same manner as taxes.

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 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 remains in place 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.