The battle to make Jasper FireSmart is moving to the home front.

Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper will be focussing on fire prevention measures in the townsite this spring and summer, with an eye to making the “home ignition zone” — your backyard, in other words, as safe as some of the newly treated forests south of town. Officials will also be working together on a comprehensive plan for a major wildfire. This tactical response plan would seek to outline the step-by-step process that firefighters would need to follow if the town is ever threatened by a major forest fire. Given the recent weather patterns, it’s important to have a plan in place as soon as possible, said Fire Chief Greg VanTighem.

“The numbers are stacking up. It’s been a dry winter,” he said. “The stage is set and we need to be prepared.”

VanTighem and Al Westhaver, manager of the FireSmart ForestWise program for Jasper National Park, paid a visit to town council Tuesday (March 21) to present an update on the progress of the FireSmart work in and around Jasper. Good progress has been made in the community boundary zone, they said, including the work currently being done along Highway 93 south of Jasper. Major sections of forest to the west of town and the steep slopes of the Pyramid Bench still require treatment, as do large swathes of territory near the Jasper Park Lodge.

VanTighem told council that his department would be paying particular attention to informing homeowners how they could reduce their fire risk in the months ahead. This includes a door-to-door hazard assessment campaign.

“In the Cabin Creek area, there are homes with cedar shake roofs that back onto the forest,” said VanTighem, identifying one area of town that is particularly vulnerable. It’s important to prepare as many private buildings and properties as possible, he said.

“We’re going to need a pretty complete buy-in, because it only takes a couple of poor housekeepers to ruin things for a whole block.”

Jasper is only about 30 per cent treated, according to VanTighem. The area around the summer cabins at Lake Edith, by contrast, is considered to be 90 per cent prepared.

Making sure that private property is well prepared for all eventualities is likely to mitigate any damage that might be done in the case of a catastrophic fire, but Westhaver emphasized that no amount of thinning or treatment could ensure complete safety.

“Even with all FireSmart measures 100 per cent in place, it doesn’t make our community fire proof,” he said.

Physical preparation is only part of the effort, however. A tactical plan will address every element of a major fire event, including mass evacuation plans, water supply contingencies and the coordination of outside help like air support or other fire crews.

“This is something that is very important and it’s not until just now that we have had the raw materials in place to start one,” said Westhaver. 

He echoed VanTighem’s remarks about the dry conditions shaping up for the summer ahead.

“Our evaluation numbers are ones that we don’t usually see until the end of the fire season.”

Westhaver cited the example of Prescott, Arizona. A fire near that town grew to 500 hectares within two hours, but thanks to a tactical plan, only seven homes were lost after 26 different agencies worked together to battle the blaze.

“That’s the kind of response we need to be ready to make,” he said. “It’s not something that we’ll be able to prepare for. It will happen in a matter of hours.”

Council seemed convinced that there was some urgency in developing a plan. In a unanimous vote, councillors approved a $4,500 expenditure to support part of the planning costs. Parks Canada is also funding the project.

“We got into this years ago because we recognized the importance to the community,” said Mayor Richard Ireland. There may be other sources of funding available, but Ireland and others said that is was important that work went ahead as soon as possible.

“Don’t delay because you’re looking for other funding sources,” he said. “We’ve provided a backstop, so hit this out of the park.”