St. Albert firefighters and other city staff will continue to help in Fort McMurray throughout the weekend.
On Friday, 12 more firefighters were sent up to Fort McMurray so the St. Albert crews already there could come home. Four were sent up on Tuesday night while others followed later.
Fire chief Ray Richards said that the three other city staff who are helping in the Emergency Operations Centre will be rotated home on Monday, with three more St. Albert staff heading up in their place.
“That will probably go on for quite awhile,” he said of staff working at the Emergency Operations Centre.
St. Albert has also sent up a water tanker and an aerial Quint truck to aid the firefighting efforts. St. Albert firefighters are working as structural firefighters within the northern city.
The winds haven’t been helping efforts and lots of firefighting is still being reported, he said.
There’s been a big shift in terms of federal and provincial support, he said, including the addition of a military Hercules helicopter. That will make it easier to get staff in and out, Richards said, especially since the fire is occasionally causing road closures.
St. Albert, along with other communities close to Edmonton, is on standby to open a reception centre if needed to handle overflow from Edmonton. Richards said Spruce Grove had already been asked to open one.
If St. Albert is asked to open a reception centre it would be at Servus Place, Richards said.
The Provincial Operation Centre is co-ordinating resource requests and has been provided with a list of what St. Albert has to offer.
The City of St. Albert is also offering free admission to civic recreation facilities like Servus Place or Fountain Park, free busing on St. Albert Transit and free admission to the upcoming children’s festival to evacuees from the Fort McMurray area.
The St. Albert Public Library is also offering up free library services to evacuees.
There are also temporary RV permits available for evacuees or residents hosting evacuees so those vehicles can be parked in residential areas.
Eight firefighters from various county fire services headed north on Wednesday to help fight the fires, including deputy fire chief Steve Douglas, said Pat Mahoney, fire chief for Sturgeon County. He expected they would be in the field for at least five days.
St. Albert schools have also starting opening their doors for students displaced by the fire.
David Quick, assistant superintendent for the St. Albert Catholic board, said he had received many calls from families displaced by the fire, adding that some had already registered to attend schools in St. Albert or Morinville.
“Many of the families here, they have no idea when they're going back or what they're going back to.”
The board has agreed to waive all fees for these students and will work to accommodate them as best as possible. He wasn't sure yet how many students would want to sign up.
“I suspect there's a lot of families who are just waiting and hoping the weekend will bring good news,” he said.
“If it doesn't, they will be contacting us in a big way by Monday.”
St. Albert Public Schools spokesperson Paula Power said her board had already received a few inquiries about attendance from Fort McMurray families. She confirmed that the board was accepting Fort McMurray students and would waive their fees. Parents should contact either district office or the school of their choice to register.
“Some of our schools are very, very full,” she said, so families might not be able to get into the school they pick.
“If we can't accommodate them at one school, we'll certainly accommodate them at another.”
Sturgeon School Division superintendent Michele Dick said her board had yet to receive any inquiries from Fort McMurray students as of Friday.
There are about 12,000 students enrolled in the 26 schools in Fort McMurray, said Larissa Liepins of Alberta Education. The state of those schools isn't yet known, as crews are focusing on fighting the fires.
St. Albert is also hosting some medical evacuees. Four patients who were evacuated from the area are now being treated at Sturgeon Community Hospital, said Kerry Williamson of Alberta Health Services.
During a fire update on Friday morning, Premier Rachel Notley said the fire now covers more than 101,000 hectares.
The winds were expected to shift the fire into the forested areas, away from the communities. Chad Morrison, senior manager wildfire prevention, said even once there is significant rain it will take a lot of effort to get the fire out.
While the winds are pushing the fire away from the communities today, Morrison said there is still lots of extreme fire behaviour likely to come.
The Canadian military has several helicopters helping at the moment, doing everything from conducting reconnaissance to transporting first responders and equipment.
The province has announced financial aid for people who have been evacuated. There will be $1,250 for each adult and $500 for each dependent. Notley said the aid will cost about $100 million, and hopes to have the money to people by Wednesday.
