Are you Climate Ready? Calgarians encouraged to plan ahead for emergencies as temperatures rise

The City of Calgary is encouraging residents to become better prepared for a wide range of natural disasters in the wake of warm temperatures and the ongoing battle against wildfires across Alberta.

May 7 to 13 marks Emergency Preparedness Week, prompting the city to hold a special webinar Thursday took a closer look at the proper steps Calgarians should take to prepare their homes.

Deputy Chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), Coby Duerr said now is the time for families to make proper plans as climate change causes different weather patterns.

“If you make a plan when the actual event happens, you don't have the time to think, but if it's all written out, if it's all done, and there's a plan so you can even make a game of it with your kids,” said Duerr.

“These wildfires that are hitting Alberta and forcing people to be evacuated from their houses so if there's a way that they have a plan already built, they discussed it, they know what they're going to take when they leave their houses.”

Warm temperatures are also a cause for concern as the risk of house fires goes up.

Calgary Fire Department information officer Carol Henke said dry conditions and heavy winds can create the perfect storm for fires to spread.

She said the number one cause of a house fire in the city is the improper disposal of smoking materials.

“Again, a huge reminder, never put your cigarette butts in planter pots, peat moss, any vegetation, mulch, dried grasses, any of that. It just is not safe," Henke said. "You need to have a sturdy, non combustible container that has sand or water in it that you're emptying regularly."

“If you're going to have a backyard fire pit make sure you are aware of all of the rules around that fire pit, that you never leave it unattended, that you have an extinguishing source handy, and if it's windy, maybe choose not to have one because those embers can fly and start other dried materials on fire.”

‘HOME INSPECTIONS SAVE LIVES’

As temperatures rise, so does the risk of danger for Calgary homes that can be prone to fire, flooding, or other damage from fast changing weather patterns.

Jon Routledge is a master inspector with Odds on Home Inspection. He said there are a number of things his team watches out for to protect homeowners from disasters.

“In a home, we’re looking for anything fire safety related, we start on the outside and make sure the barbecue isn’t too close to the house, it should be 10 feet away,” he said.

“You also want to make sure to trim branches and trees away, we look for any pest activity that can get into the electrical wires and possibly bite them and cause a fire.”

Routledge added that it’s important to regularly check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors as well as to check furnace filters to make sure they don’t get too dusty which can cause them to be more flammable during hot weather periods.

“A home inspection can find a lot of defects that could lead to fire or other issues, so again, these smoke detectors are big on the list. There's just a lot of electrical outlets too that we can find that are mis-wired, which can lead to fire or problems as well.”

HOT DRY CONDITIONS BEGIN THIS WEEKEND

According to weather experts, Calgary and much of southern Alberta is in for some warm conditions over the course of the next few days and into next week.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has since issued the following Special Weather Statement:

"Unseasonably hot, dry conditions will begin this weekend. The highest temperatures are expected from Sunday through Tuesday. Daytime highs are expected to be in the high 20s to low 30s. Overnight and early morning lows are expected to be in the low teens. These daytime highs will be 10 to 15 degrees C above seasonal values. With elevated temperatures, the risk of heat related illnesses will increase."

Terri Lang, Meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada says a large upper ridge of high pressure is building back into British Columbia and Alberta as it slowly builds and strengthens over the weekend.

“What that's going to do is bring a return to those really, really warm temperatures and really dry conditions back to sort of what we started with in late April and early May. So back to those conditions, because the strength of this ridge is so high and so big,” Lang said.

“This really sets the stage for the conditions to be bad for wildfires. So generally, we don't see this. May tends to be one of the wettest months. It’s not typical and we're still waiting for those big upper lows that bring us lots of rain to come along.”

Lang said coming out of a dry winter and into a dry spring is similar to the conditions seen in 2016 when the Fort McMurray wildfires sparked.

Richard Carr, a live fire research analysts with Natural Resources Canada notes that a lot of the higher winds rapidly dried up snow in higher elevation areas of the Calgary Fire Zone.

“We got an El Nino for example, we have fairly warm, dry winters and that carries on into the spring and we get warm, dry, windy conditions, but now we're coming out of La Nina and it can actually generate its own fire weather patterns,” he said.

“The central prairies for example and the pacific area to the west of that get those strong pressure gradients that create those strong southeasterly winds. So this or it almost seems like a combination of those two effects.”

FIRE BAN IN PLACE FOR CALGARY FOREST AREA

The Calgary Forest Area is at low risk of wildfire right now with five wildfires this season having all been extinguished and only burning 14 hectares so far.

Wildfire information officer Anastasia Drummond notes that though the risk is low, the warmer temperatures are concerning.

"Across the forest protection area right now we do have a fire ban in place as well as an Ohv restriction, which means basically there are no campfires allowed, either in random camping areas or in campgrounds, as well,” she said.

“We're going to see very high temperatures, dry conditions," she added. "We're hoping that the moisture helps us through that, but we're going to see an increase in the fire danger over the coming days. And a real challenge will be for us heading into the long weekend, where we often see new starts.”

Drummond says anyone who witnesses a wildfire should report it immediately by calling 310-FIRE.