Alberta preparing early for wildfire season

The province of Alberta announced on Tuesday that it is putting protection measures in place early in preparation of wildfire season.

Beginning March 1, a permit is required for all planned fires in Alberta’s Forest Protection Area, with the exception of campfires, the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said in a press release. The Forest Protection Area covers most of the top half of the province, excluding the southeastern part, which includes Edmonton, Drayton Valley, Red Deer and Calgary.

“By beginning one month early, we can more effectively monitor burning activities and also ensure that our firefighters are well prepared to respond quickly when wildfires are detected,” said Oneil Carlier, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, in the release.

The ministry noted that accelerating wildfire season preparations was one of the recommendations of the Flat Top Wildfire Complex Review that followed the 2011 Slave Lake area wildfires. From May 11 to 15, 2011, the province fought 52 wildfires within the Lesser Slave Area, along with 137 other wildfires occurring in separate Alberta regions, according to background information from the ministry. Most of the damage occurred in the Town of Slave Lake, with the wildfire considered “the most costly wildfire disaster in Canada’s history, with over $700 million in insurable losses,” the ministry said.

The government said that training starts for wildfire crew members and leaders at the ministry’s training centre in Hinton beginning in March.

Last year’s wildfire season produced 1,786 wildfires that burned more than 492,000 hectares, more than twice the 25-year average and the third-highest number in the past 25 years. Sixty-four fires were over 200 hectares – the 25-year average is 19.

In addition to $139 million that was budgeted at the start of the 2015 season for wildfire prevention, preparedness and management, Canadian Underwriter reported in November, the province provided an additional $375 million in emergency funding to cover the costs of fighting wildfires last year.