Swift Current abstaining from fire ban for the time being

The City of Swift Current has yet to enter into its own fire ban. 

With today's earlier announcement from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency that provincial and regional parks along with crown land were being all placed under a fire ban, the City of Swift Current has yet to do the same. 

Dean Diguer, deputy fire chief for the City of Swift Current, confirmed that they are monitoring the situation locally. 

"If there is a need for a fire ban, it will be communicated publicly through radio and social media platforms," said Diguer. 

For now, he is encouraging people to manage their own heat exhaustion levels with plenty of water and shade. 

The number one concern for the Swift Current Fire Department is grass fires. The dry conditions have made the risk of grass and plant fires a very real threat. 

"Almost anything is at a higher risk of fire in these temperatures, although grass and other vegetation are exceptionally dry right now which can start on fire and spread quickly," said Diguer. "Quite a few of our grass fires involve inappropriately discarded smoking materials – while proper disposal of smoking materials is always important, extra vigilance is necessary with the current weather conditions."

If anyone sees a fire, they should call 911 and report it immediately.