Natural Resources
October 31, 2014
Protecting Forest Resources, Communities and People
Efforts of Fire Management Staff Reduce Impact of Forest Fires
Through the work of the Provincial Government’s fire management staff, the number of hectares burned in the province during this year’s forest fire season was kept to a minimum. Only 12,712 hectares were burned which is considerably less than the average 35,015 hectares. The province recorded 122 fire starts in 2014, which is on par with the 10-year average of 120.
“Our fire management staff performed admirably during this year’s forest fire season. I thank them for their dedication to the Provincial Fire Management Program which protects our valuable provincial forest resource. Given the extreme temperatures that were experienced in the province in mid-summer, keeping the total area burned to low levels is a testament to the skill, dedication and professionalism of forest fire management personnel.”
- The Honourable Derrick Dalley, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency
During the forest fire season, 11 individuals from the province’s Incident Management Team also had the opportunity to assist other jurisdictions when they were deployed to British Columbia and North West Territories as part of an Interagency Incident Management Team to support fire suppression activities in those provinces.
“This is the first time staff from Newfoundland and Labrador have taken authority over a large fire in another jurisdiction. The deployment supports the recent efforts of the Forestry Services Branch in incident management training and is extremely beneficial to fire management in this province.”
- Minister Derrick Dalley
Deployments are made possible through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Mutual Aid Resources Sharing (MARS) Agreement. Newfoundland and Labrador has participated in deployments in the past; however, this summer marked the first opportunity for fire management staff to work in key positions, such as incident commander, planning, logistics, finance, safety and other support services.
Residents are reminded to be careful with fire, especially around their cabins with brush burning and campfires during fall hunts. Conditions remain dry and people must remain vigilant when starting fires.
QUICK FACTS
- Through the work of the Provincial Government’s fire management staff, the number of hectares burned in the province during this year’s forest fire season was kept to a minimum. Only 12,712 hectares were burned which is considerably less than the average 35,015 hectares. The province recorded 122 fire starts in 2014, which is on par with the 10-year average of 120.
- On the island portion of the province, 75 fires burned 143 hectares. In Labrador, 46 fires burned 12,569 hectares.
- During the official forest fire season, 11 individuals from the province’s Incident Management Team had the opportunity to assist other jurisdictions when they were deployed to British Columbia and North West Territories as part of an Interagency Incident Management Team to support fire suppression activities in those provinces.
- 30 -
Media contact:
| Diana Quinton Director of Communications Department of Natural Resources 709-729-5282, 631-8155 dianaquinton@gov.nl.ca |
2014 10 31 10:20 a.m.