This small northwestern Ontario town is ramping up forest fire prevention efforts after too many close calls

After a close call with a forest fire in 2023, a small northwestern Ontario municipality is ramping up forest fire protection efforts for the season ahead. 

Sioux Lookout is one of twelve municipalities to receive grant money from FireSmart Canada and Wawanesa Insurance to be spent on wildfire mitigation this year. 

"You know, every penny counts," said Jeremy Funk, fire chief and emergency services manager in Sioux Lookout.

"We are looking to make changes on the ground with our community members and their properties that can give them the best chance to defend off a wildfire event coming up to our back door," he added.

The $15,000 grant will allow the municipality to carry out home assessments in targeted areas of Sioux Lookout, which may be at risk amid the forest fire season. 

Funk said officials will review individual properties "from the roof down", and help to apply FireSmart practices, which include everything from removing combustible materials to managing vegetation. 

"While most people have a very basic understanding that, you know, we live in northwestern Ontario, wildfires happen every year in our region. A lot of us think 'it won't happen to me, it won't happen here.' And unfortunately, it's a very real possibility," said Funk.

In Funk's first year of being fire chief in Sioux Lookout in 2023, the community had a close call. Smoke filled parts of the town, as a wildfire burned near the rear of the local hospital property and close to a subdivision. 

"We were able to knock it down in very quick time. And other than some smoke in the community, very little impact to our residents and our municipality. Thankfully that was the case and probably though, a very big wake up call," said Funk.

Another big wake up call for Funk, and for many Canadians, was the devastation of the town of Jasper, Alberta last summer after fire hit the town in July. 

About 5,000 residents and 20,000 visitors were safely evacuated before the fire breached the western edge of town and destroyed 350 homes and businesses, including 820 housings units. The Insurance Bureau of Canada pegged the damage at $880 million.

Funk saw the destruction of the fire first hand during a visit to the community, which he said inspired him to do more in his own community to prevent similar devastation.

He said the communities are close in population size and both reliant on resource-based tourism. 

"When I do have the opportunity to talk about it with fire chiefs, or presentations or training on this, in the back of my mind, it's always you know, 'this could be Sioux Lookout,'" he added.