Candle Lake’s fire chief says the community’s unity during the Shoe Fire showed what’s possible when residents and agencies pull together, even as the village now faces close to $200,000 in costs from the response.
The figures and recognition were first outlined during the Resort Village’s August council meeting.
On Aug. 21, Fire Chief Jim Arnold presented challenge coins to volunteers who stepped forward during the wildfire. He said the token, rooted in military tradition, symbolizes belonging to a team.
“The volunteers in the community, their response was tremendous,” Arnold said. “When SPSA had to abandon their fire base, our community got together, and we fed them and found them places to sleep for a week. It just shows that if everybody pulls together, we can do an incredible job.”
Arnold said lessons from the fire include staying prepared, building partnerships with surrounding fire departments and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, and expanding use of the FireSmart program. He urged residents to take simple steps to protect their properties, such as keeping trees and firewood away from houses, using non-combustible materials like crushed rock, and installing rooftop sprinklers.
“The smartest thing you can do is be FireSmart,” he said. “If a wildfire came through, sprinklers on the roof can create a humidity dome that gives a 99 percent chance of survivability.”
Village Chief Administrative Officer Brent Lutz said the firefighting effort combined municipal resources with more than 1,300 hours of unpaid volunteer work.
Volunteers who supported Candle Lake during the Shoe Wildfire were recognized with a special challenge coin presented by Fire Chief Jim Arnold.
He explained that while costs came just under $200,000, that tally does not include the value of volunteer labour. Expenses included meals and supplies, firefighting crews dispatched to neighbouring communities, and equipment purchases.
“It was a huge initiative, and just coordinating all those hours and all the people involved was a very major part of our response here,” Lutz said.
The village has submitted expense claims to SPSA under the Wildfire Act. Lutz said the village is confident about reimbursement for contracted services such as firefighting and meal provision, but less certain about claims tied to local mitigation and FireSmart work.
Looking ahead, Candle Lake has already added a second quick-response fire vehicle and will expand FireSmart programs into more neighbourhoods. The village also held three free landfill weekends this summer to help residents clear combustible materials from their properties and plans to begin thinning municipal forested areas.
Lutz said an updated Emergency Operations Plan, incorporating lessons from this year’s fire, is expected to go to council before the end of September.
