Ever since last year’s devastating blazes across the country, we’ve been talking a lot about fire safety, and with precious little rain in the forecast for the next few weeks, we’re unlikely to stop, as it’s shaping up to be another unusually hot, dry spring.
Recently, we spoke with Jacques Mazerolle. Based at Fundy National Park in New Brunswick, he’s a visitor-safety and fire-prevention officer, and part of Park Canada’s national fire incident management team. He’s still marvelling at an “interesting” 2023 and is keener than ever to help folks stay safe.
He offers particular caution if a backyard fire is a summer rite for you, noting that they can get out of hand more quickly than many folks realize.
“If you’re doing a fire on your personal property, clear the area of any wood, leaves, or twigs,” Mazerolle says, adding you need to ensure your space is flat and open. “Look up. You don’t want branches or trees overhanging the area, especially soft wood. You got to be careful about that location. The further from any structure or trees the better — five metres would be ideal.”
It’s tempting and easy to discount advice like that, assuming other careless folks need it, but not responsible people like us. Yet any safety expert will tell you that repetition of the basics is key. It never hurts to refresh our knowledge and redouble our efforts, so let’s all do our part to protect our community this year.
Keep reading the Courier for more expert advice from Mazerolle, and meanwhile, stay safe. So far, Charlotte County has done well avoiding a major fire in 2024, but a long, hot season of danger is only beginning.