This past week, Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen declared an early start to the 2024 wildfire season in a proactive approach and requested funding for 100 new wildland firefighters in Budget 2024. Alberta continues to experience warmer-than-normal temperatures and below-average precipitation in many areas of the province, increasing the risk of wildfire. This early start will be accompanied by additional regulations within the Forest Protection Areas to protect people, communities, wildlife, and forests.
Last year, over 60 per cent of the wildfires Alberta experienced were human caused which means they were preventable. This year, to reduce the risk of wildfires, Albertans must obtain a permit for any burning planned within the Forest Protection Area. Alberta Wildfire will also use the fire ban and restriction system to help reduce human-caused wildfires. Further, Alberta will employ enhanced nighttime wildfire operations, including using ground suppression efforts and night-vision equipped helicopters and nighttime heli-tanking.
Currently, Alberta has 196 government wildland firefighters and support staff that provide adequate staffing for the current wildfire activity and risk levels. There are currently over 50 active wildfires burning in Alberta, which includes a few carry-over fires from 2023, and some new wildfires since the beginning of 2024. These additional firefighters will be an invaluable asset to the Alberta Wildfire team as the wildfire season progresses. Going forward, we urge Albertans to exercise extreme caution in forested areas and to avoid burning under warm, dry, and windy conditions. Albertans are well known for rising to the occasion whenever duty calls. As we progress into the warmer months, we must all work together to avoid preventable fires. By doing so, we will keep people, communities, wildlife, and forests safe.
In another development, the Alberta Government announced that Medical First Responder (MFR) agencies across the province will receive targeted funding to support the highest quality of emergency care in Alberta communities. This support will increase the funding by $3.75 million this year and will expand the program to include medium and large MFR agencies across Alberta, including fire departments, urban, remote, and rural municipalities and Indigenous communities participating in the MFR Program. More than 200 MFR partner agencies across Alberta will receive targeted funding for emergency medical services. This investment will move forward efforts to enhance health care services for Albertans and will help address the diverse needs and challenges of Alberta’s remote, rural, and Indigenous communities.
