I think citizen awareness of forest fires is huge as there is still a lot of talk about it in the media. So it is certain that the moment something deviates from normal, namely fires with spark arrestors, there are still many home visits […] We have become aware of this in the past few days and are moving staff to this end, explained the operations manager of the Saguenay fire protection service, Nicolas Rannoue.
He expects an even busier weekend as the flammability index could rise from very high to extreme in half the region on Friday.
“We’ve moved a lot in the last few days,” he added. So I imagine it will be even higher because we already move more at Saint Jean parties, even if we are in normal contexts, when we are not on the flammability index. Extreme. So I can imagine that it will not be different from the others.
The fire safety department will conduct its usual preventive surveys of buildings on Friday and keep an eye out for fires outside.
On Wednesday, firefighters from Saguenay intervened in Saint-Jean-Vianney over a tire and wood fire, while the region has had a ban on open fires in or near the forest since May 28.
Fireworks: Citizens made aware
Regarding the purchase of fireworks, according to Rémi Aubin, citizens are disciplined by Accommodation 21 in La Baie.
Normally, the convenience store empties practically its entire stock a few days before the national holiday, but for a few weeks retailers have hardly sold any.
Rémi Aubin from accommodation 21 in La Baie.
Photo: Radio Canada
Rémi Aubin believes that people in the region are aware of this because access to the forest comes with many activities, whether it is access to their cabin, an outfitter or fishing.
The sale of fireworks is very slow compared to previous years. Normally my supplies on Saint-Jean-Baptiste are very good. I trust people’s good judgment. […] “I think people don’t want to take the risk that there will be wildfires and that access to their chalets and access to forested areas will be restricted,” Rémi Aubin said.
According to SOPFEU, the ban on open fire also means that fireworks are banned.