As an out-of-control wildfire burns south of Whitecourt, local emergency officials are urging residents to be prepared.
The fire, known as WWF017, grew to an estimated 80 hectares within hours of detection and on May 11 at 5:30 p.m. prompted an evacuation order for parts of Woodlands County, which is 300 km northeast of Jasper.
Firefighters, helicopters, airtankers and heavy equipment worked through extreme fire behaviour overnight as smoke drifted across the region, according to Woodlands County’s webpage.
While the Town of Whitecourt itself remained outside evacuation zones, officials delivered a message increasingly familiar to residents across Alberta’s forested communities: have a plan and keep a go-bag ready.
Be prepared
According to Jasper emergency services personnel and spokespeople who were in town at last week’s Emergency Preparedness Open House, a 72-hour Emergency Preparedness Kit should include:
- water
- non-perishable food
- medications
- important documents
- clothing and blankets
- keys, and
- a basic first aid kit
Additional items include:
- flashlights/batteries
- can opener
- personal hygiene items
- extra footwear
- scissors/pocket knife
- hand sanitizer
- multi-tools or basic tools
- duct tape
- sleeping bags
- pet food
Could you leave home in 15 minutes?
According to their emergency information webpage. if necessary, The Municipality of Jasper will issue two kinds of evacuation notices:
Evacuation Alerts tell people to prepare for an evacuation. If you are ready to go and can evacuate early, local officials ask that you please do so.
An Evacuation Order tells people to evacuate immediately. This may happen if there is little or no time to notify people, or following an Evacuation Alert.
Read the Municipality of Jasper Evacuation Guide to familiarize yourself with Evacuation zones and alerts; how to evacuate; and how to build an emergency kit.
Download the FireSmart Last-Minute Evacuation Checklist and download the Alberta Emergency Alert App and set your location to Jasper.
For more information visit The Municipality of Jasper’s emergency information webpage.
Jasper Local staff // info@thejasperlocal.com
