canadian wildfire may 2016

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by motto

It was like as though the fire was completely unforeseen and no preparations made. We live in a fire prone area and have water tanks, fire pump and generator with the idea in mind of staying and fighting and what I saw at Fort Mc seemed quite strange.

David, I think we're seeing what happens under forced evacuation policy. If you live under that regime, whether it be in Canada or Australia, there's no point preparing for bushfires. This point was eloquently made by former AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty in the 2011 report into Perth Hills bushfires, where residents were evacuated and no lives were lost, but many homes were. The final report said:

The Special Inquiry does not dispute the priority given to protecting life, however, it is concerned that the process of widespread evacuation may be at odds with the focus on educating people about risks and empowering individuals and communities to exercise choice and take responsibility, as set out in the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience. The Strategy has an explicit focus on building disaster resilient communities, noting that in these communities:

People understand the risks that may affect them and others in the community. They understand the risks assessed around Australia, particularly those in their local area. They have comprehensive local information about hazards and risks, including who is exposed and who is most vulnerable. They take action to prepare for disasters and are adaptive and flexible to respond appropriately during emergencies.

The National Strategy for Disaster Resilience further defines a disaster resilient community as one where people have taken steps to anticipate disasters and to protect themselves.

The Special Inquiry spoke with residents who questioned the rationale for preparing their own bushfire plan setting out what they will do during a fire event if it is likely they will be evacuated anyway. The Special Inquiry was concerned that the widespread use of evacuation as a strategy to protect life has the potential to disempower communities, rather than building resilience. Residents could choose not to engage in community level preparations, not consider what action they would take during a bushfire, or not take adequate steps to protect their properties, if they believe the default response to an emergency is to evacuate. (Mick Keelty, ‘A Shared Responsibility: The Report of the Perth Hills Bushfire February 2011 Review’ p 42).

[maple_leaf_eh]

http://www.macleans.ca/tag/fort-mcmurray-faq/

The boreal forest in Canada is a very big swath of vegetation. It burns every year, sometimes more destructively than others. The Mountain Pine Beetle is killing the pine forests, which greatly adds to the fuel mass available. The logging companies can only cut so many marketable logs per season.

There are whole communities and subcultures that depend on fighting wildfires. There are also individuals whose summer income depends on getting hired on to fire crews. It is not unknown for the same people to start a bush fire and be hired to fight it or others. All this is to say that yes, Ft Mc's "The Beast Fire" as it has been named, has been assessed as human originated. However there is no announced plan to hunt down and prosecute the one poor bugger whose ATV exhaust sparked a fire. It isn't the first and it won't be the last human caused fire. Nor, is there any way to investigate in sufficient detail the cause of the fire so it would stand up in court. Unless someone walks into the police station and convincingly admits to starting this particular fire, we may never know exactly how it started.

As to a perceived lack of urgency, Canadians are almost painfully civil to each other. We apologize for wrongs (and rights). We tend to respond to official direction without being confrontational. So, when the fire chief, who in emergencies has more authority than a mayor or the police chief, orders people to leave it happens. The kindness of strangers is not an abstract concept but how people treat each other unprompted. (Ever ask why this forum is so generous and helpful ....?)

There may be discussions on why some parts of town were evacuated later than others, or when the orders were issued. Or, whether the fire was fought intensively enough such as whether a particular type of air tanker should or should not have been contracted. Such conversations based on speculation won't advance the issue, nor should the uninformed be allowed to steer the debate. Most politicians have learned to stay out from underfoot, and let the professionals deal with the problem. Their managers and political ministers are responsible for answering those questions.

[motto]

Thanks Tony, I was unaware of the Mick Keelty report, it sums things up well.
Terry, I stated at the end of my post that there must be more to the story and indeed there is as you have explained.
You mention the forest being burned each year. The discussion here has been very intense at times on the issue of fuel reduction burns. In many areas for thousands of years before the arrival of the Europeans the aboriginals would light bush fires as they moved out in their nomadic lifestyle. This was part of the natural order of things. eucalyptus forests are fire prone so much so that some species will germinate after burning. With the coming of the white man the focus has been on fire prevention with the consequent build up of fuel resulting in high intensity fires when light up does occur.
We still haven't learned how to manage the situation with fuel reduction burns sometimes getting out of control and the population ever increasing and many wishing to 'escape to the country'.
Our fires seem to be more like those they have in California with fierce winds hurling debris and fireballs at terrific speed over great distances. The Fort Mc fire seemed rather sedate. It probably has something to do with latitude as well as the makeup of the forest.
No criticism of Canadians is intended or implied. I wish we had more of your politeness here as we seem to be on a downwards spiral. Maybe I am that old as I can remember a kinder world where people were considerate of each other and guns in the hands of the public not seen as a threat.
David