Shelter In Place tool for municipal staff in preparation for the upcoming fire season

In the fall of 2023, Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation’s – Emergency Management staff participated in a post-fire review of the 2023 fire season that was organized by the Agriculture Fieldmen from MD of Greenview, Yellowhead County and Saddle Hills County. 

One of the key observations from the discussion is that producers and communities in Alberta need a tool/guide that will help producers (and smaller-sized animal owners) set up their farms to protect their buildings and animals if they are given an evacuation order.  

The attached document has been built as a starting point for that need. It is based on basic home FireSmart principles that have been applied to each of the buildings that are found on a farm.  To be able to cover all the farm situations across the province the document is designed so that each community can adjust it or amend it to their own specific circumstances and local farm layouts.

We encourage you to have a discussion about the checklist with your local/regional fire chiefs to make sure it matches their expectations and then share it with your rate-payers and residents as you see fit.

AB Agriculture staff will be talking about the checklist and taking questions on the April 4^th – Ag Fieldman Webinar.

Otherwise, feel free to reach out to the Agriculture Emergency Management team if you have any questions about the checklist:

Rachel Lotsberg – Rachel.lotsberg@gov.ab.ca, tel: 780-422-7498

Katherine Altman – Katherine.altman@gov.ab.ca, tel: 780-644-3020

Brad Andres – brad.andres@gov.ab.ca, tel: 780-638-3204