Alberta wildfires result in call for feds to re-commit to Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy

Recent wildfires that have evacuated residents and destroyed almost 400 lots in Slave Lake, Alberta have resulted in a call for the federal government to move forward with funding for the 2005 Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy (CWFS).
Brian Stocks, author, wildfire scholar and president of Stocks Wildfire Investigations Ltd., urged the government to re-commit to the CWFS while giving a presentation on the Slave Lake Wildfires in Toronto on May 26. Stocks gave his presentation at an Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) news conference.
“Hopefully, given what’s going on in Alberta now, there will be some momentum towards a [federal and provincial] ministerial meeting dealing with wildland fire,” Stocks said. “The plan is ready. You don’t have to develop a plan. It’s done.”
Stocks was referring to the CWFS, developed about two years following a 2003 wildfire in Kelowna. The Kelowna wildfire caused about $200 million in insured property damage.
Under the auspices of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM), ministers of all provinces, territories and Natural Resources Canada supported funding of the CWFS in 2005. At that time, the ministers agreed to a 50-50 split of the costs to implement the strategy, which was to receive $230 million annually for up to 10 years.
The strategy focuses on four objectives:
•Public education and policy/risk analysis related to wildland fires.
•Support for FireSmart programs designed to reduce risks associated with the interface between wildland and urban areas.
•Emergency preparedness and response capability.
•Multi-disciplinary innovation intended to bolster decision support systems.
Stocks said the federal government has not stepped up with its share of the funding. Therefore, the strategy has only been implemented on a piecemeal basis.
“The federal government needs to step up and taking an active role in that,” said Stocks. “We’re asking them to take preventative action when it comes to wildfires.
“You might have to spend less in disaster relief in the future if you spent a little more on disaster prevention proactively [now].”