P.E.I. North Shore residents meet with officials to discuss lingering wildfire concerns

Two years after post-tropical storm Fiona demolished thousands of trees on Prince Edward Island, residents on the North Shore worry that the tattered debris still sitting in the forests could be a massive fire hazard.  

On Thursday afternoon, about 35 people gathered at the North Rustico Lions Club to discuss wildfire prevention, preparedness and mitigation. 

"Wildland fire can really impact people's lives," said Mike Montigny, the manager of field services for the provincial Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action. 

"Prince Edward Island is not immune to that. We have fire here and we have forests that can certainly do that. So I think everybody should be aware of it."

Montigny and officials with other groups including Parks Canada, the Emergency Measures Organization and local fire departments were at the meeting to give residents a chance to voice their concerns and ask about the Island's wildfire plan. 

People wanted to know how long it would take a crew to respond to a fire. They wondered if fire departments on the Island have the proper training to fight a wildfire. What will crews use as a water source? Will more forest debris be cleaned up? 

Wildfires on P.E.I. are relatively rare, Montigny told them. Last year, his team responded to only 12 minor ones.

Because of the landscape on Prince Edward Island, he said, the massive fires that happen in Western Canada are out of the question here. But even a smaller fire can do damage, and he said everyone can play a part in preventing them.

"The majority of fires on Prince of Island are human-caused," he said. "Fire does not respect political boundaries. It doesn't care where the property boundary is. So everyone has a role to play."

Montigny suggests people look at using a program called Fire Smart Canada. It walks you through ways of making your home and property less susceptible if a fire approaches. 

It's not just for homes, though; Parks Canada uses it too. The agency has been removing debris from high-priority areas like campgrounds, while choosing to leave many decaying trees and other organic matter untouched where they fell during Fiona. 

"It's really important [since] they help keep the moisture in the soil," said Kim Gamble, the resource conservation manager for P.E.I. National Park.

"Having that moisture-rich soil to prevent the spread of fire will help keep at bay some of those fine fuels and grasses that would come up if you did clear the whole area, which would dry out that ecosystem."

Still, some who live within the park's boundaries want more of the debris gone — especially near their homes — and questioned officials on what makes an area high-priority.