Wildfire Management
What town will be evacuated for wildfire in 2022?
Banff? Canmore? Edson? Lac La Biche? High Level? Rocky Mountain House?
Which First Nation communities will be devastated?
How much wildfire smoke will affect the health and well-being of Albertans?
Experts have established that the increase of wildfires will affect more and more communities, cost billions, and kill thousands if nothing is done.
How has Province responded?
- They cut 9.1% of Alberta Wildfire’s budget
- Disbanded our elite “Rapattack” team of 63 rappelling firefighters
- Closed 15 wildfire lookouts that serve as a crucial tool to alert teams of new fires before they grow
- Decreased our water tanker fleet
- Cancelled funding for rural firefighter training
If you agree that these actions are a mistake and have put Albertans at risk - Please sign the petition now!
Join the Green Party of Alberta in our call to immediately:
Rappelers respond to wildfires in helicopters and if there is no suitable landing zone upon arrival, descend to the ground on a rope while the helicopter hovers. The concept is to arrive at a fire very soon after its reported and aggressively attack the fire while small to keep it from becoming large and endangering communities and private property.
Reopen and expand lookout positions
Fire lookout towers provide a crucial reduction in time of fire detection to help get firefighters on the attack before the fire grows. This is extremely important in catching fires before they impact communities.
Add an additional water tanker flight group to our fleet
Our air tanker program is not only aging, it has decreased since 2014 when we had nine flight groups. It is time we expand our fleet to match the current risk and replace older aircraft before putting our pilots at further risk.
Bring back the funding program for rural firefighters with an additional fund to help rural departments secure new tools and equipment.
Rural fire departments are struggling to give their firefighters, often volunteers, the tools and training they need to respond to fire safely and efficiently. The elimination of the provincial training grant directly impacted volunteer departments already under stress in both small communities and rural communities
Do you agree with these important measures to keep firefighters and Albertans safe? Sign the petition!
Additional measures needed for long-term reduction of wildfire risk:
Stop spraying glyphosate to kill fire-resistant aspen trees.
Increase prescribed burning practices through the utilization of Indigenous traditional knowledge.
Amend our forest harvesting practices that leave behind high fuel load.
These policy changes should be a piece of wider actions on climate issues which the Province is not taking seriously.
More background
University of Alberta fire expert Michael Flannigan and scientists across Western Canada have warned that eight of the world’s worst fire seasons have taken place in the past decade, including three of Western Canada’s worst seasons in the past five years.
We have been warned that record fire seasons are not only going to be commonplace but are only the beginning of what will come due to climate change.
By signing this petition you are demanding that the Province does its job to prepare Albertans for the immediate threats of wildfire and the implementation of policy needed to mitigate these impending disasters.
Reference:
https://globalnews.ca/news/6632250/alberta-budget-cuts-rural-firefighter-training/
https://globalnews.ca/news/8070896/canada-wildfires-climate-change/