New wildfire protection teams to serve at-risk Alberta municipalities

Alberta communities at risk of wildfires will be better equipped thanks to the deployment of new specialized firefighting crews.

The Government of Alberta announced $6.54 million in funding Friday for the creation of six permanent urban wildfire teams. The personnel will receive specialized training and equipment to fight both wildland and structural fires.

The funds will go to six municipalities deemed at risk of wildfires — the towns of Strathmore, Hinton and Slave Lake, Lac La Biche County, Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council and Kananaskis Improvement District —  with $1.09 million allocated to each municipality over the next two to three years.

The investment comes in light of the immense damage done by wildfires in Alberta and throughout Canada, said Mike Ellis, provincial minister of public safety and emergency services.

"That's why we're focused on building more skilled, specialized and ready-to-deploy teams that can work to ensure communities, businesses and critical infrastructure are protected in the event of a wildfire," he said.

Having more wildland urban interface teams across the province will help fill existing gaps in wildfire response strategies, he added.

"We have the folks who do an excellent job when it comes to structural firefighting, with the folks that do the wildfire firefighting, but there seemed to be a bit of a disconnect," he said.

Wildland urban interface teams specialize in targeting zones where developed land borders or mixes with areas put at risk of wildfires by natural vegetation, such as transitional areas separating forests and grasslands from populated communities.

Expansion of specialized program

The six new teams will bring the total number of wildland urban interface crews in Alberta up to eight, expanding on the two already serving Clearwater County and the Town of High Level.

"I think we all know that the fire situation in the province has gotten much stronger, much earlier," said Pat Fule, mayor of Strathmore.

The two existing wildland urban interface teams also conduct training and education to support firefighters and residents in neighbouring communities.

Strathmore firefighters were among the many crews from across Alberta deployed to Jasper during the wildfire emergency last year. Fule sees the wildland urban interface program as an opportunity for Strathmore to continue helping those in need.

"This program will be amazing to help our community, but also our community can reach out and support other communities in times of trouble," he said.

Funding for the Strathmore and Kananaskis Improvement District teams will come from the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. The four other crews will be funded through an equal split by the federal Natural Resources Canada department and provincial Ministry of Forestry and Parks.