Property owners are being encouraged to become familiar with the guidelines provided by the FireSmart program.
Temagami council received a presentation from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) fire advisor Ken Cox recently outlining the benefits of the program.
Temagami Fire Chief Jim Sanderson said in a later interview that the FireSmart guidelines are important everywhere, and not just in Temagami.
The MNR has created a discussion paper titled “Modernizing Ontario's Wildland Fire Management,” said Sanderson, and it has been projected that "the fire season will lengthen by more than 20 days by 2040. Ontario's expected to increase nearly 50 per cent in the wildfire occurrences in comparison with the number recorded prior to 1990. The average area burned will increase significantly."
The FireSmart program encourages property owners to remove fine combustible materials, like bark and brush, away from the sides of buildings, creating a two-metre buffer zone.
Woodpiles and similar materials, like piles of lumber, should be ten metres from the building (at least 33 feet). Beyond that, evergreen tree branches should be pruned to be at least two metres from the ground, and trees should be at least three metres apart.
Within the municipality, residential campfires are allowed in the evening, but larger bonfires and brush burning require a permit, and have conditions.
In Temagami, there are bylaws to consider that protect the skyline, and the new official plan for the municipality contains regulations addressing those guidelines. More can be determined by visiting the municipality's website.
The new official plan "starts to lay out how Temagami's dealing with the FireSmart principles within the context of protecting the visual and environmental integrity of the lakes."
Sanderson said the pillars for fire management are public education, prevention, mitigation and suppression.
The goal is to do as much as possible in those areas in order to not have situations which require suppression, he explained.
FIRE CAUSES
Roughly 50 per cent of forest fires are caused by lightning strikes that can't be prevented, he said, but human-caused fires can be prevented through education. Homeowners can take steps to help protect their properties if there are ever any fires burning in the area, he added.
The downtown area of Temagami and the townsite area in Temagami North have fire hydrants, but outside those areas, the fire department's ability to fight structure fires is dependent on water availability, such as nearby lakes. The fire department's two fire trucks can carry water to the scene - one has a capacity to carry 800 gallons and the other has the capacity to carry 285 gallons. The Marten River Fire Department also has two fire trucks - one with a 500-gallon capacity and the other with a 250-gallon capacity. Once that water is used, the fire truck can refill at a nearby lake using its portable pumps, or it must be driven to the nearest location where it can refill.
Sanderson noted that council has directed him to look at a community wildland fire protection plan and to come back to them with a report. He said he is working on it at this time.
"One of the things we were successful in obtaining is a Community Wildfire Preparedness Day. We have received funding and we are in the process of organizing presentations and displays on July 5."
"Our priority is basically people's safety and property," Sanderson said.
The public is encouraged to be aware of the FireSmart guidelines and use them to do its part to reduce the need for fire response at properties.
Sanderson noted that a 2017 research paper called “Awareness and Adoption of FireSmart Canada - Barriers and Incentives,” prepared by Mohamed Ergibi and Hayley Hesseln, found that 77 per cent of surveyed respondents had never heard of FireSmart Canada.
Sanderson says that statistics show the reason for more promotion of the program, and the value of creating "defensible spaces" where the homeowner has taken steps to clear the zones around buildings.
For more information visit https://firesmartCanada.ca.