Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Canada is moving on the first phase of a Wildfire Training Fund to hire and train Indigenous firefighters in their own communities, 300 new firefighters and another 125 Indigenous fire guardians are being trained this season. "There are a limited number of resources." And we are very concerned about risk that current conditions present," he said. "We are, quite frankly, quite concerned with the early onset and, frankly, almost without precedent the extreme number of fires that we've already experienced so far this year. There are also ongoing discussions with Mexico, officials said.īut Blair said the particularly challenging nature of this season, when big fires are burning in so many different regions, is a concern for having enough people and equipment where and when they are needed.īurnout is also an issue, as many firefighters work days on end in extremely harsh conditions. It is not certain yet where those people will be sent. will arrive in Atlantic Canada over the next few days, and they are also expecting more than 200 firefighters from South Africa in the coming days. Most of them to date have gone to Alberta, where more than a million hectares burned in May.Ĭurrently, the biggest threats are in Atlantic Canada, particularly in Nova Scotia.įederal officials said another 100 firefighters from the U.S. To date, the centre said 566 firefighters have travelled between provinces this year to help other jurisdictions, and another 443 firefighters and other trained experts have come to Canada from the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. The centre's daily report on the fire situation says demand for firefighting personnel and equipment from other jurisdictions "is extreme," but the "national availability of resources is limited," so they're turning to international partners for help.Ĭanada has agreements to share firefighters with six other countries - the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico and Costa Rica. It's equivalent to five million football fields, or almost five times the size of Prince Edward Island.Īs the situation in Alberta grew quickly out of control in early May, the Canadian military moved in to help, and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre also helped commission firefighters from other provinces and other countries.īut federal officials said in a briefing to reporters Thursday that the fire situation is troublesome almost everywhere now, and those provinces need their staff back at home. He said the amount of land already burned is more than 10 times the average amount of land burned by June 1 over the last 10 years. "The situation in Canada today is very dangerous." "These conditions this early in the season are unprecedented," said federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair. The unusually severe start to fire season is prompting warnings to Canadians to know their risk and concerns about a shortage of firefighters as many jurisdictions are now in competition with each other for the number of trained workers available. A massive amount of land has already been scorched by wildfires in Canada this year, and federal fire officials warn the hot, dry weather fuelling the burns is nowhere near over.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |