Alberta is experiencing another destructive wildfire season, with the communities of Fox Lake, Chipewyan Lake, Garden River, John D'Or Prairie and the municipal district of Bighorn have been ordered to evacuate.
As Albertans are left reeling from the reports of homes, historical structures and businesses having been lost to the fast-moving wildfires in the Jasper National Park – please know you have the full weight of the Alberta RCMP's support during these exceptionally traumatic times.
RCMP-aided Evacuation of Jasper
RCMP members, with the invaluable support of Alberta Sheriffs and Parks Canada Wardens, safely directed traffic out of the Jasper townsite late Monday evening into early Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday morning, 20 members from various branches of Search and Rescue (SAR) Alberta helped RCMP members conduct door-to-door checks of every residence in the Jasper townsite. Working in teams of two, one RCMP member and one SAR volunteer, methodologically moved through the town and documented those who had yet to evacuate.
Initial door knocks occurred between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., with 41 residence electing to stay in place. Later in the day, after our second check in, only 6 residence remained.
Eventually only one elderly couple remained, who's health and mobility issues precluded them from leaving town independently. It took two members 30 minutes to help evacuate the couple. Their home was destroyed shortly there after.
Securing Entry into the National Park and the Townsite
Concurrent to the door-to-door checks, Tactical Support Group (TSG) members from Sherwood Park, Parkland, Fort Saskatchewan, Okotoks, Innisfail, Lloydminster, Coaldale, and High Level RCMP detachments converged onto the townsite to help facilitate evacuations and to secure the highways into the national park.
Securing the Jasper Townsite
The Alberta RCMP understand that the protection of your property is second only to the protection of your loved ones. While the 2023 wildfire season had no credible reports of looting, with below average instances of break and enters and trespassing, the Alberta RCMP and partners will employ a number of policing strategies to enhance the safety and security of evacuated communities during the wildfires:
Restricted Airspace: All commercial and personal aircraft, and including drones are restricted from flying in the Jasper National Park. This is an important precaution to ensure that airtankers, helicopters, and patrol aircraft can safely respond to the wildfire.
Perimeter Control: By maintaining tight access control into an evacuated community, the Alberta RCMP can easily ascertain who's authorized to work in a specific area and who might be unlawfully in the community. We've established communication protocols and ongoing collaboration with the Jasper Emergency Operations Centre to validate authorized personnel.
Roving Patrols: With the perimeter secured, marked police car patrols will proactively move through your community actively looking for signs of criminal activities, as well as individuals who are not authorized to be in the evacuated area. To enhance patrolling ability throughout the night, advanced optical and night vision technology mounted on our Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (drones) are being utilized to identify and accurately pinpoint any suspicious activity in your evacuated community.
Quick Response Teams: Our Tactical Support Group Quick Response Teams are in place to react to any incidents in area. These members are specially trained officers equipped to deal with the most sensitive and dangerous situations.
Investigative Teams: Experienced Division Criminal Analysis Section will analyze and examine reports of suspicious activity and individuals. Our investigators will conduct targeted investigations of priority offenders, criminal hot spots and utilize both overt and covert techniques to actively suppress crime and arrest those looking to take advantage of the evacuation.
Crime Reduction Techniques: Various Crime Reduction equipment and strategies are being implemented within and around the evacuated areas. Specialized Crime Reduction teams utilize covert crime detection and overt crime suppression strategies focusing on offenders who are causing harm to our communities.
First responders from British Columbia and Alberta are working under exceptional circumstances. Please help us to keep everyone safe by listening to the advice from local authorities and staying away from evacuated areas until you have been cleared to return.