Large, never ending fields of vegetation and a surface relatively devoid of a lot of moisture. It's a great recipe for one of the biggest fears of those who settled the west, wildfires.

Fortunately for us today, with modern advances in firefighting techniques and a much better understanding of how the phenomenon works, the chances of a devastating scourge of the prairies is rather remote. However, the risk for one to start is still quite imminent, as the southeast was a the high end of the spectrum for awhile.

"Right now, I can tell you that we are actually back into the 'very low' end of the risk scale after recent rain events. For us to actually put a fire ban in place, it's going to take several consecutive days of the 'extreme', where we actually have a rate of spread of 26 plus meters per minute," said Fire Chief Dale Feser, explaining that they use maps and data provided by the provincial government to aid in their analysis.

He noted, however, that it is still imperative that extreme caution is exercised.

"When you are looking at conducting controlled burns, especially in the agricultural areas, you want to make sure you have provisions such as a viable water supply and a water truck in place. Make sure that you have additional manpower out there as well. That way, should the fire get out of control, there is some way, means, shape or form to try to bring it back under control."

"Don't hesitate to call in the fire department right away if you think that it is going out of control. That way we can get out there in a timely manner," he added.

"Another item to take into consideration when engaging in this type of burn is the wind conditions. Any time it is above 20 kilometers an hour, you definitely want to pay close attention. You don't want to start a fire when winds are quite gusty, as they can take it away from you."

Feser noted that the province has a number for those conducting controlled burns to call.

"It's 1-866-404-4911, and it's actually answered 24-7, 365 days a year. Some of the questions that you will be asked include your land location, the RM number that you are in, the fire service provider for your RM, location details, the type of material that you are burning, how long it will last and of course contact information such as name and phone number, just so we have a quick reference."

"This way, should things become out of control, the 911 dispatchers have all that information to pass on to the responding fire department," Feser related.

He expressed that common sense applies when planning to conduct these activities, and waiting for a wet day to set vegetation a-light is wise.

"We have been very fortunate in our area. I think that a lot of the public education campaigns that we have done have proven very effective. I know that a lot of the surrounding fire departments in the southeast have been very busy as of late with wildfires, however, that hasn't been the case for for us, knock on wood," he concluded.