Town of Edson better prepared for 2024 wildfire season [Video]

People living in Edson were forced to flee their homes twice last spring.

“We refer to them as emergencies one, two and three,” said Edson’s Mayor, Kevin Zahara.

The town 195 kilometres west of Edmonton was evacuated twice due to wildfires, then was hit by flooding.

“We’re approaching the one-year anniversary of what occurred in our community and it’s very dry outside,” Zahara said.

“People are on edge,” he said, adding “we just cross our fingers that we don’t have to face the same sort of situation.”

But if they do, Zahara said the town is in a better position to deal with it.

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An ‘after action report’ was completed, which outlined things the municipality needed to work on.

Zahara said prior to the 2023 evacuations, none of the town’s staff had any formal training …