“Let It Burn” Policy Blamed For Loss Of Lodge
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 13:49
A renewed call is going out for changes to the provincial government’s so-called “let it burn” forest fire policy.
This time it’s coming from the Saskatchewan Outfitters Association.
President Brian Hoffart says a camp about 120 km north of La Ronge burned to the ground last week and he wants the government to adjust its current policy for fighting forest fires.
Right now, the province only targets blazes that get within 20 km of a community.
Hoffart says he would like that zone expanded to 40 km.
He says fires can cover distance extremely quickly and all that blackened timber surrounding camps is bad for business.
The executive director for fire management in the province is responding to the call.
Steve Roberts says it’s simply not practical to have a 40-km zone for every value point in northern Saskatchewan.
Roberts argues outfitting camps do receive fire protection from the province, but they are not on the same priority level as northern communities.
He says each fire threat is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Roberts adds they have also met with the outfitters to discuss how they can make their operations more fireproof.
In the case of the Foster Lake Lodge, he says a sprinkler unit was deployed at the site — but notes sprinklers don’t eliminate all fire risks.
He adds it all depends on having defensible structures and defensible spaces for the sprinklers to work effectively.