It’s too soon for long-term predictions but officials provided a briefing to media on what’s happening and how to prepare ahead of this fire and flood season While it’s too early for forecasters to predict the whole Yukon wildfire season, current modelling suggests seasonally normal temperatures and precipitation heading into April, according to a Yukon wildfire official. Devin Bailey, director of Yukon Wildland Fire Management, told a media briefing that the territory is generally on pace for a “historically average snow-free date” when most of the snow has melted. Low fire danger is anticipated to start the season, he said. Bailey said the wildfire hub this year will show a fire danger map as well as current fire restrictions and wildfire mitigation work. When asked by a reporter, officials at the briefing debunked “rumours” around August weather predictions. Bailey said they prepare for a hot June, July and August. Yukon government officials held the season’s first flood and fire briefing for media on Zoom and in the Yukon government media room on March 31. The flood and fire outlook provided reminders about preparedness and an update on what has been worked on this winter and spring. A second briefing will be held later in April, once the spring flood risk assessment has been released, to provide more detailed forecasts. Greg Blackjack, the director of the Yukon government’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO), said government preparation for emergencies has involved working to update community emergency plans and conduct training and tabletop exercises. “For now, the March snow survey told us that the snowpack ranges from below average in the Southern Lakes region to above average in the Klondike. Most regions can expect slightly below-average to average freshet runoff volumes this spring, while the Klondike can expect above-average freshet flows.” The amount of snow on ground, weather and spring rain can all potentially drive flooding, per Blackjack. “We’re confident we’re prepared for this response season, and we’ll continue to work with our partners and all municipalities and First Nations to ensure they feel prepared,” Blackjack said. Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn called emergency preparedness a top priority for his government. “It’s a shared responsibility. It’s not only our government,” he said. “There’s responsibility that lies with the federal government, with municipal governments and First Nations and with individuals across the territory.” Starting last summer, Mostyn said, regular briefings have been held with First Nations and municipal leaders on emergency management. That practice has been restarted again this year. “We support First Nation governments and municipalities in preparing for emergency events. Yukon government works with local governments to review and update emergency plans, community wildfire preparedness plans, and generally ensure that Yukoners are thinking ahead and ready to work together,” Mostyn said. “It’s important to note this because it’s the municipalities and First Nations who know their communities best of all, and that’s why they lead the charge on those things. We’re there to help refine and if they have any questions or things they’d like to work through.” He added the territorial government is responsible for emergency planning in unincorporated communities such as Marsh Lake and the Klondike Valley. “Our government also offers assistance if emergency has become too big for one municipality or a First Nation to handle,” Mostyn said. He noted that assistance could be transport for evacuees, shelters and other emergency support services. Mostyn highlighted these complex undertakings must be grounded in the unique circumstances of the community and require working as a team and not “going off rogue.” “All these events are in some ways like fingerprints. You can prepare, but when they actually hit, we don’t know the specifics,” he said. Mostyn said the government has been working internally and with partners to improve and test inter-agency emergency protocols in the case of a power outage or electrical supply issues in the territory. “This is relatively new to have the utilities working with us, and we’re very glad to have them on board. That’s a huge change,” he said. “It’s nice to see last fall, all parties came together to develop and test the emergency protocols and successfully completed a drill to switch large buildings from Whitehorse to back up power to reduce the load on the electrical system and keep power flowing to all Yukoners.” The government is leading the development of 14 official flood hazard maps for communities. Mostyn reminded Yukoners to prepare 72-hour emergency kits, keep fuel in their vehicles and “Fire Smart” their properties to prevent wildfires from spreading to their homes. Officials indicated communication is key in emergency responses and consistently comes up in after-action reviews as an opportunity for improvement. They agreed work has been done to ensure timely, consistent interagency and public communications that respond to community needs. “Whenever we move into an incident, we make sure our comms teams are aligned to ensure everyone’s getting consistent messaging across the board,” Blackjack said. “We’ve also developed a 24-hour comms roster to help assist our EMO duty officer.” Bailey noted communications is one of the biggest challenges in emergency response. He emphasized the need for clear and concise roles and responsibilities that are understood by all parties. Mostyn suggested Starlink services are now offered across the territory for people to tap into. “If they’re really worried about it, they can actually take some personal responsibility and subscribe to that so they’re not as isolated as they may have been in the past,” he said. Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
Low fire danger to start season as Yukon officials eye Klondike freshet
