Fort Mac Fire Chief: ‘when that type of fire comes in it’s too late’
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PRINCE GEORGE – Darby Allen, the now-retired Fort McMurray Fire Chief who is credited with safely evacuating 88,000 people during the wildfires in the spring of 2016, visited Prince George Saturday.
Allen says prevention is key in the fight against wildfires.
“What we are seeing more and more now communities are starting to think about fire-smart seriously. When we build new homes are we building them fire-smart? Do we need more of a set back from the trees from actual property? And those things can make a real difference when the big one comes,” says Darby Allen, retired Fort McMurray Fire Chief.
Allen reflected on the extensive amount of damage the wildfires that swept through Fort McMurray caused two years ago. “When that type of fire comes in it’s too late. Of course, fire-smart costs money but it’s about investing in people, it’s about investing in saving your property. So the type of structures you build and what you used to build them. How much logs you allow in someone’s backyard, what type of shingles they’ve got, what type of siding they’ve got,” says Allen.
