Okotoks has seen more fires in 2022 than ever before.
Town chief administrative officer Elaine Vincent told council Monday that Okotoks is setting an undesirable record.
"We've had the worst fire year on record right now for Okotoks, in its history," said Vincent. "When that happens, the community starts to get concerned in terms of, are they protected, do we have adequate fire services, etc."
There have been five fires in Okotoks town limits so far this year, with the most recent being a blaze that destroyed two homes on Sheep River Place on Sept. 4.
March 15 saw two houses scorched and two damaged following a fire in Sheep River Cove.
Three weeks later, on April 5, 26 firefighters quelled a grass fire at the Okotoks off-leash dog park in Drake Landing which came close to neighbouring homes.
A week after that, on April 15, a home in the northwest community of Mount Rae suffered significant damage after it went up in flames that afternoon. Two dogs were lost in the blaze.
On Aug. 28, a home in Woodhaven caught fire while crews were on scene of a brush fire in Foothills County.
Okotoks Fire and Rescue has also attended many scenes throughout the County to assist with grass fires in the past nine months. Black Diamond, Heritage Pointe and High River crews have returned the favour, attending many Okotoks scenes for additional support.
The Town wants to assure residents of the established service level for fire response — 90 per cent of the time, water will be on a fire within 10 minutes of a phone call, the CAO said.
In light of recent events, Okotoks has now added an additional layer to post-fire protocol dubbed 'After the Fire.' Vincent said press releases will be issued to the public following an incident which informs the community of fire services' response time, service levels and the fire's potential causes.
Presenting this information gives homeowners the opportunity to take preventative measures to protect themselves and their families from such a tragedy, she added.
On Sept. 28, Mayor Tanya Thorn will be hosting a 'State of the Town' where she will address and discuss key issues affecting Okotoks. The attendance of fire Chief Trevor Brice is expected and will give residents the chance to ask questions specifically related to fire and fire prevention, according to Vincent.
