City firefighters need more training to fight wildfires

The federal government is doubling its investment in training urban firefighters to fight wildfires – a threat to Canada's cities and towns.

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the government is providing $800,000 to the international community of firefighters for additional training.

That's more than double the amount spent last year on 25 instructors who trained more than 300 firefighters in Chilliwack and Kamloops, B.C., and Grand Prairie, Alta.

The effects of climate change and population growth combine to increase the risk of fires occurring in or near urban areas.

About four million Canadians — about one in 10 — now live in areas where flammable forests are common, Wilkinson said.

In 2021, a wildfire engulfed the village of Lytton, and in 2023, a forest fire engulfed areas near Halifax and Kelowna, BC, forcing the entire town of Yellowknife to evacuate.

The latest spring fire forecast suggests a repeat of last year's record wildfire season is at risk.

Above-average temperatures and limited rain and snow have left much of the country with drought-like conditions, with dry forests and grasslands.

The forecast is not a forecast, Wilkinson said, because rainfall levels are difficult to estimate this early in the season.

But the plan is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best, he added.

This Canadian Press report was first published on April 15, 2024.