Project Code: ANC-01-027
Program: FRIP
Sponsor:ANC Timber Ltd.
Project Status:Completed

Object & Deliverables

During the fall of 1999, winter of 1999-2000 and the spring of 2000 the unusual weather and drought conditions created an extreme fire hazard in the Whitecourt area. Pursuant to a Fire Control Agreement, between ANC Timber Ltd. (the Company) and the Minister of Forestry, Lands and Wildfire, and to support training and investment in fire fighting equipment, the Company employed a 4-man Type II Firefighting Unit and Brushsaw crew (the Unit) under contract from April 3, 2000 to September 30, 2000. The Unit was developed to supplement the LFS manpower resources for man-up, initial attack and early periods of sustained action, with a primary focus on the Company’s FMA.
As the season progressed, adequate precipitation lowered the fire hazard. The Unit spent 50.5 hours on various fire related activities for the Company, including fire training and fitness testing. LFS man-up totaled 26 hours. The remainder of the time, the Unit spent performing manual tending on areas within the Company’s operating area.
The helicopter flight was taken by the Company’s Silviculture Forester and Silviculture Assistant to determine areas to be manually tended during the project. After the blocks were identified, density surveys were completed to determine the pre-treatment density and what treatment would achieve the best results for that particular block or stratum. This density was also used to determine the cost per hectare for the treatment area based on the metric provided from Brinkman & Associates. The Unit manually tended 187.9 ha and maps illustrating the blocks that were manually tended are located in Appendix 6.

 

Final Report

The final result was the successful completion of 187.9 ha of manual tended area within the Company’s operating area. As well the season was completed without any requirements to action a fire. Safe working practices occurred throughout the project with only two incidents; the first was a hand injury; the second was collision accident with a deer. There were no injuries to the Unit. A first aid treatment report and a report of the vehicle accident are contained in Appendix 5. The work was completed on time and met the objectives of the project. The cost is less than the initial amount proposed.
The complete findings of this project are contained in the “Type II Firefighting Unit and Brushsaw Crew: Final Technical Report.”
ANC-01-027