After eight tense days of being evacuated from their community, Swan Hills residents breathed a collective sigh of relief on the morning of May 24 after being notified that the evacuation order had been lifted. After days of uncertainty about the fate of their homes, this welcome news brought reassurance of a favourable conclusion to these challenging circumstances.
The mandatory order that began this experience for the Swan Hills community had been issued on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 16, directing residents to evacuate immediately with their pets, important documents, medication, and enough food, water, and supplies for at least three days. The town’s residents were also informed that an evacuation centre had been established at the Barrhead Agrena and that they were encouraged to register with that centre.
According to Town of Swan Hills (TOSH) Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Bill Lewis, Alberta Wildfire notified the Town on the evening of May 15 that there were concerns that the prevailing winds would change that night, potentially putting Swan Hills at risk from a wildfire to the northwest of town (SWF063). With this information, the Town issued a wildfire advisory at 7:20 PM stating that there was a fire 24 km to the northwest that could force an evacuation if the weather conditions changed for the worse. The people of Swan Hills were encouraged to gather the essential items listed above in preparation for a possible evacuation. This advisory was broadcast through the Alberta Emergency Alert System (AEAS) by the Town’s Emergency Management Team and posted to the Town’s website and Facebook page.
The next morning an Emergency Command Centre (ECC) was established at the Town Office in the Town Council Chambers to be ready in case the situation worsened. When the Town contacted Alberta Wildfire on the morning of May 16, the situation had not gotten any worse than the night before, but conditions had changed by the afternoon, and Emergency Management was informed that it was time to evacuate. Emergency Management issued the evacuation order through AEAS, as well as the Town’s website and Facebook page at 1:20 PM. As the residents of Swan Hills evacuated from their homes, the Town’s Emergency Management Committee convened in the command centre, with Town employees, available Town Council members with roles in the Town’s Incident Command structure, Public Works, RCMP, and the local Fire Department. They were soon joined by additional RCMP officers from other parts of the province as well as firefighters and resources from the Town’s mutual aid partners from Big Lakes County and surrounding municipalities.
A representative from the Alberta Emergency Management Agency arrived later that evening to provide support from the province. The ECC ran for 24 hours on the first day of the evacuation and then for roughly 12 – 14 each day afterwards. Some essential businesses in town remained open throughout the evacuation to support the emergency response efforts, including Super A, Meekwap Auto & Industrial Supply, and the owner of Home Hardware had left the keys to the store so that responders could access any supplies they needed. The Hillcrest and Grizzly Motels also offered their facilities to house responders from out of town. The Towns of Barrhead and Westlock went well above and beyond in their efforts to feed, house, and support Swan Hills’ displaced residents. On the evening of May 15, The TOSH requested that the Town of Barrhead set up an evacuation centre in preparation for a possible evacuation, and they graciously offered to do so. The Town of Westlock then stepped up as more space became necessary. A little known fact about these types of arrangements is that Albertan municipalities are not under any official or legal obligation to support other communities in this way; everything that the Barrhead and Westlock communities did to support Swan Hills, they did on their own.
Financially, the TOSH covers all of the expenses for emergency response efforts (including bringing in extra equipment and personnel), and evacuation supports for town residents. The Town can apply for disaster relief with the province afterwards, but there is no guarantee that the application will be successful. As the evacuation continued, emergency responders worked tirelessly through the week to set up structure protections in and around Swan Hills, including setting up and filling additional water tanks in strategic locations, setting up and preparing water canons, and establishing property sprinkler protection. Heavy equipment and hand crews also “blackened” the fireguard surrounding the town, turning the ground over until there was only black soil on top and no vegetation.
The Town also maintained constant contact with Alberta Forestry during this time for consultation and to coordinate their efforts. When the circumstances with the wildfire had improved to the point that there was a potential for residents to return to Swan Hills, there was a list of conditions that had to be met before the evacuation order could be lifted. The fire hoses and water cannons that had been set up had to be taken down and removed; essential businesses had to be notified so they could return and open; and the Town hired a private ambulance to support the community until AHS could open up the Swan Hills Healthcare Centre again. The alerts and notifications informing Swan Hills residents that the evacuation order had been lifted were sent out at roughly 9:00 AM on Wednesday, May 24. However, the town remained under a 4-hour evacuation alert. This evacuation alert was lifted on the afternoon of May 29, and the Town also downgraded the existing Fire Ban to a Fire Restriction at that time. As CAO Lewis explained what had been happening in Swan Hills throughout the evacuation, he said, “I was very proud of how everybody stepped up; everything went as well as could have been hoped.” He said, “We are greatly appreciative of the Barrhead and Westlock community’s support for the Swan Hills community. They went above and beyond in their efforts to settle our evacuees and make them feel welcome.”
Thank you to everyone who was involved in the efforts to protect our town, to support the emergency responders and workers, and to support the displaced Swan Hills community in our time of need.
