WEST Region-2010 Forest Fire Season Summary
The 2010 forest fire season ended on October 31 and provincially, the fire statistics show 929 fires and 14, 823 hectares burned. Provincially the final cost was approximately $99.7 million compared to approx $92 million last year as the result of 60 percent more fires occurring in 2010.
During the 2010 forest fire season, Ontario FireRangers marked their 125th year of service to the province. In 1885, Ontario introduced a team of dedicated staff ready to serve and protect people, their property and the province’s forests. This group started with 37 trained professionals and has grown to over 800 FireRangers serving at over 30 locations across Ontario.
FireRangers continue a legacy started 125 years ago to protect people from forest fires in Ontario
Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and, most extensively, British Columbia. Support to British Columbia marked the third largest dispatch of Ontario resources in Ontario’s history. In 2009, an even larger sharing of resources occurred! Approximately 750 staff participated in 2010, with a total number of person days of about 10,000 (In 2009, the dispatched involved one thousand staff and 21,000 person days.)
West Fire Region Overview
A season-end review of the activity in the West Fire Region shows a number of highlights.
This 2010 fire season there were 371 forest fires which burned an area of 9,616.2 hectares in the West Fire Region. By comparison, there were 194 fires by the end of the fire season in 2009, and 13,934 hectares burned. So the number of fires was higher this year, although the number of hectares burned was less than in 2009.
Of the total 371 fires, 278 fires were classed as human-caused and 93 lightning-caused fires. The amount and distribution of cool, wet weather helped reduce the chance of human-caused fires spreading, and conditions also reduced the chance of ignition from lightning strikes.
The 2009/10 winter brought very little snow and hot dry weather in the spring prompted fire activity in March, prior to the official opening of the fire season on April 1.
Fire personnel at districts across the region provided interagency wildfire training to volunteer firefighters and municipal fire departments and worked with various organizations such as the tourist industry to deliver FireSmart messages.
Two prescribed burns were successfully completed in the Red Lake and Fort Frances Districts of the West Fire Region in mid October. Valuable research information was gathered that will help the fire program better understand the effects of fire in weather and insect damaged forests. An added benefit of the prescribed burns, which burned off hazardous forest fuel, is that there is less risk of problem wildfires in the future in those areas, and more natural regeneration for the health of the Boreal forest.
The Dryden Centennial Air Show was held at the Dryden Regional Airport in May and featured ground displays and amazing aeronautical demonstrations. The Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services program supported the City of Dryden in the organization of the air show, and provided an exciting demonstration of an aerial attack on a forest fire using CL-415 heavy water bombers, Air Attack Birddogs and FireRangers on a Helitack helicopter.
The Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services program also provided an open house at the event to show people the many aspects of forest fire and emergency response including a mobile basecamp set-up; a FireRanger camp; a FireSmart outreach trailer and visual displays using still and video images to show the hard work and dedication of the MNR staff in this program. Several staff were on hand to meet the public and answer questions and of course Smokey Bear was there to greet children of all ages.
Fire in the forest, in the right circumstances, is a beneficial force for renewal in the Boreal forest.
During 2010, the West Fire region continued to advance fire management planning through the implementation of the Eagle Lake Islands Fire Response Plan located in the Dryden District. This plan provides fire and resource managers with the flexibility to manage fire on the islands of Eagle Lake for ecosystem renewal purposes. It balances the ecological role of fire in this fire driven ecosystem with MNR’s primary objective to protect human life and property on the islands.
In addition to this, the West Fire Region has been working with Ontario Parks, district staff and the forest industry to develop a fire response plan on the Lac Seul and Caribou Forests in the Sioux Lookout District. This plan will encompass approximately 270,000 hectares of area and will enable both fire and resource managers to address the issue of significant amounts of storm damaged forests on these managed forests. A more flexible fire response in this area will provide a mechanism to promote a healthier forest and will provide the opportunity to bring areas that have been impacted by severe weather events back into the forest production and woodland caribou habitat use management cycles. The Lac Seul North Fire Response Plan is anticipated to be implemented for the 2011 Fire Season.
Throughout the fire season, mandatory training continued for fire staff, including sessions for FireRanger crew leaders on formal Fire Investigation training.
The 2010 Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact Prevention Award was given to the Saganaga Ontario Association of Resort and Property Owners in recognition of the organization’s efforts in the advancement of wildfire prevention in Ontario.
In the spring of 2010 a regional familiarization day and an SP-100 course were provided in partnership with Outland to increase fire program and fire behaviour awareness and knowledge to Aboriginal students participating in the Native Outreach Program in Northwestern Ontario. The partnership with Outland and AFFES is intended to strengthen the relationships between the fire program, Outland and First Nations Communities across Ontario by providing education and career opportunities in the area of forest fire management to Ontario’s Aboriginal youth.
Partnerships were also established with Cuttle Lake Resort, Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters (NOTO) and the Federation of Ontario Cottage Associations (FOCA) to advance FireSmart initiatives. A model lodge for FireSmart at Cuttle Lake Resort is a creative solution that provides FireSmart initiatives to the private sector through web sites, pamphlets, and posters, enhancing FireSmart knowledge and promoting FireSmart principals to property owners across Ontario. Throughout the summer of 2010, several presentations on the model captured the attention of private camp and lodge owners as well as the general public across Northwestern Ontario.
This summer also saw the introduction of a new outreach trailer in the region equipped with dynamic graphic designs and educational displays. The design and concept of the trailer was popular with the public, providing district fire staff with a way to promote wildfire awareness, education and FireSmart initiatives. The outreach trailer was on the road for most of the summer visiting each of the seven districts in the West Fire Region a number of times at home shows, family safety nights, forums, fairs, air shows and festivals.
Now that the forest fire season has officially ended (April 1 – October 31) a fire permit is not required for daytime burning of woody debris or grass if you live in an area governed by the Forest Fires Prevention Act of Ontario. Although day burning is allowed after the fire season ends, people must still follow safe outdoor fire management.
If people live within an organized municipality or First Nations community there may be more stringent open burning by-laws in place than what is described here. Before burning, check they should check with their local fire officials for bylaws.
