The 2024 Alberta budget includes an additional $151 million over the next three years for the base budget of dealing with and preventing wildfires in the province, ahead of what is expected to be another challenging fire season.
Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said that means, for 2024, an additional $55 million into the operational expenditures of dealing with wildfires.
“Last year about $100.4 million was budgeted and this year, we’ve budgeted for $155.4 million,” he said Friday at a news conference in Grande Prairie.
There’s also a $2-billion contingency fund in the provincial budget — up half a billion from 2023 — which the minister said will be tapped into when fires actually break out.
“This past year, we spent, I believe, $839 million fighting wildfires and this was an unprecedented season,” Loewen said, explaining Alberta usually spends $250 million.
“We do have to be prepared for the worst, which could be another unprecedented season.”
The additional base funding will help the province both hire more wildland firefighters and have more equipment on hand such as aircraft, drones, use of artificial intelligence (AI) and night-vision technology.
“In 2023, we piloted in a number of firefighting technologies aimed at improving our responsiveness and effectiveness, and I’m pleased to give many of these resources a permanent spot on our front lines this wildfire season,” Loewen said.
The minister said in 2024, the budget calls for an increase in night vision helicopter capacity to three contracts, which includes two medium helicopters and one heavy helicopter.
Wildfire suppression efforts are more likely to be successful at night, the province said, as typically the temperatures are usually lower, humidity higher and wildfires less active.
Night-vision goggles amplify light 60,000 times and allow helicopter pilots to work overnight and do things like bucketing operations, the province said.
“This groundbreaking technology will enable faster and more accurate response to wildfires. Aircraft are crucial for wildfire response, and Alberta wildfire currently has 18 long-term helicopter contracts available throughout the wildfire season,” Loewen said.
Drones will also continue to be used this year, which the province said is useful tool because it provides real-time info on where to send firefighters and are safer: they can fly over areas deemed too dangerous to send helicopters and planes.
The drones are equipped with thermal imaging and can track hot spots throughout the night, which the minister said helps crews be deployed when the sun comes up.
“First thing in the morning, a lot of times there’d be maps already created of the fire,” he said. “It just helped get to where the crews were needed most.”
An artificial intelligence-powered tool developed by Edmonton-based company AltaML, which the province has been using since 2022, will continue to be used this year, the minister said. The Wildfire Occurrence Prediction System determines the probability of a new wildfire starting in a given area, he said.
“The Wildfire Occurrence Prediction System can analyze granular data sources to give staff members more specific insights about the regions they make decisions for. This prediction system was created here in Alberta, and I’m proud to use this technology to keep Albertans safe,” Loewen said.
While technology is important, the minister said all that data is limited if there are not boots on the ground to help suppress the flames.
Last month, he announced the budget would include funding to hire 100 new seasonal wildland firefighters, which will result in five additional 20-person crews.
That’s in addition to the 900 firefighters the province fielded in 2023, who are expected to be ready by April 15. The new firefighters won’t be dedicated to any particular area.
On Friday, Loewen said the job process has been going well. He said the province worked last year to retain as many of its experienced firefighters as it could, and going into the fall and winter began recruiting new hires.
Training for those people began in waves before and after Christmas and is ongoing, he said, adding 2024 has been one of the best recruiting years ever.
“I think because of the wildfires last year, there’s a lot more awareness. And so I think a lot of people looking for jobs, especially university students during that summer period when our fires are the most intense, have taken advantage of this,” he said.
The Alberta Union of Provincial Workers says more could be done to retain experiences firefighters in the province though.
James Gault, AUPE VP for the northeast region, refutes the province’s claim that it’s been a record year said Alberta is losing experienced firefighters to regions like British Columbia.
That’s left staff with a year or two under their belt leading crews of 20 or more into the forest, he said.
“I hear from young wildland firefighters who are appointed to leadership roles because they have worked one or two seasons and that makes them the most experienced of the group.”
The AUPE said new drones and night vision goggles may help detect fires, but it means nothing if the province doesn’t have experienced manpower.
“We’re putting trust into computers. We’re putting trust into everything else, when really the answer is experience that can tell you what’s going to happen.
“It’s those hunches, it’s those understanding of wildfires and constantly retraining people every single year is not the solution.”
The budget, tabled Thursday in the legislature, also calls for two more contracted air tanker groups — bringing the province’s complement from eight to 10 — and Loewen said 130 casual charter operator helicopter contracts are set to be renewed by April 1.
“Casual air tanker contracts are important, so we can call up additional air tankers when wildfire conditions dictate that more help is needed,” he said.
But even with all the manpower and machinery in the world, the minister said there’s no way to tell how useful it’ll be until spring arrives and we see if drought conditions persist or more precipitation falls in that critical time between when the snow melts and trees green up.
“We’re preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.”
The Alberta government declared an early start to the 2024 wildfire season last month.
The season traditionally has run from March 1 to Oct. 31, but with such an unseasonably mild winter and low overall precipitation, the start date was bumped up 10 days earlier than usual to Feb. 20.
“Indications are that we could have a tough season based on the snowfall and rain and the weather conditions we’ve had through this winter,” Loewen said on Friday.
“But, it would only take a couple nice snowstorms like we had last weekend and a few nice rains in the spring that could make all the difference in the world.”
For future wildfire seasons, the province said it is exploring options to potentially expand the province’s air tanker fleet and pilot more emerging firefighting technologies.