If a wildfire swept toward Banff, here's how crews would respond

Firefighters descended on a neighbourhood in the Alberta mountain town of Banff this week, clad in full gear.

They hustled to install sprinklers and hoses along the peaceful residential street and in nearby forested areas.

No flames or smoke could be seen. 

The exercise was a simulated fire suppression drill, designed to keep crews from the fire department and Parks Canada on their toes should a fire encroach on the town.

The training was a good indication of how crews would respond if a wildfire swept toward Banff.

"We have triggers set on the landscape, depending on the fire conditions, as to where the wildfire is in proximity to the town. Three to four days out we'd be sending evacuation alerts," Jane Park, a fire and vegetation specialist with Parks Canada, said Tuesday.

Park said the agency constantly monitors weather conditions and lightning strikes to keep abreast of fire risk.

The agency often allows fire in the backcountry to burn as fire plays its natural role in the ecosystem, which can help the area become more fire resilient.

But once it starts getting closer to human habitat, crews will intervene.

"Right around any infrastructure, communities, the transportation corridors, we have a full suppression zone," she said. "So any fire that's detected in that zone … we'll suppress those right away."

In recent years, wildfires have swept through two Alberta municipalities — Waterton and Fort McMurray — forcing evacuations and destroying homes.

"I think any mountain community that's surrounded by forest has a higher risk than an urban centre," Banff fire chief Silvio Adamo said.

He said it's important the public know crews are extremely prepared in the event of an emergency.

"We have very comprehensive evacuation plans here in Banff," he said. "Our plan is designed to deal with the high volumes of tourism we have."

Adamo said if a wildfire is three to four days away from reaching the town's perimeter, crews will start setting up sprinklers to lessen the impact of fires caused by embers floating in on the wind.

However, it's vital residents take action and fire-protect properties as best they can, he said.

Banff is promoting a program that encourages residents to replace their coniferous trees with deciduous trees, which pose less fire risk.

The town is also assessing homes for their fire readiness. Adamo said 150 homes have been looked at so far.

The town's fire risk is moderate right now, but Park said that with warm, dry weather on the horizon, that index is expected to rise by the end of the week.

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With files from Lucie Edwardson.