Officials with Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services have been requested by the province to provide support to the Jasper National Park wildfire.
Two fire crews with an engine and a tactical water tender were sent to assist in the structural firefighting component within the municipality of Jasper, says John Liadis, fire chief for Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services.
With the current high wildfire risk conditions, Liadis says it strives to always ensure it has sufficient resources available to support an incident within Clearwater county, but when a neighbouring community requests help, Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services tries to accommodate to the best of its abilities.
Liadis adds, crews were requested late on July 24, and were and deployed within two hours of the request.
As soon as the request came in, Liadis says it acted as quickly as possible to get them on the road to support the community in Jasper.
Officials say cool and wet weather is making a difference in the fight against wildfires that has devastated Jasper National Park.
The park posted a statement on X saying cooler temperatures and up to 15 millimetres of rainfall since midnight had led to reduced fire activity.
The Jasper townsite and national park have been overtaken by wildfires, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith estimating a third to possibly half of all buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
The federal government is offering resources to help fight the fires, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirming he has approved Alberta’s request for emergency assistance.
When it comes to preventative measures, Liadis says Clearwater County and the Fire Service works diligently throughout the year with active fire smarting initiatives, educating the community, and utilizing its highly trained staff to provide assessments, and assisting in mitigation techniques to reduce the impact of fires.
Since Clearwater County is a large response area, Liadis says Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Service is required to respond to incidents within the Fire Protection Area (FPA) alongside wildfire teams, as well as outside of the FPA.
Liadis says Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services is staffed with a large number of highly trained professionals and always strives to provide professional service when someone calls 911 and requires its service.
(With files from the Canadian Press)
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