City of Edmonton adds proactive measures to wildfire protection plan

Drones, prescribed burns and a wildfire technician will all be part of the City of Edmonton’s wildfire strategy in 2025.

The measures are to mitigate the city’s fire risk.

“We have a huge river valley and it is vulnerable,” Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said of the North Saskatchewan River valley.

At about 88 kilometers from end to end, the stretch of river through Edmonton is the largest continuous urban parkland system in Canada, with more than 180 kilometres of maintained pathways and over 20 named parks with amenities, along with tens of thousands of trees.

In an update to committee Wednesday, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said the wildfire risk looks better than in years past, thanks to more snowfall this winter — but fire chief David Lazenby said that could change.

It’s why drone surveillance that started last spring will continue. The drones check the river valley for fire hazards. A wildfire technician was also added last year, monitoring trees and shrubs in the city’s green space.

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“To help with vegetation management, identify priority areas for us to clear out that vegetation and make sure we mitigate fire risk,” said Caitlin Zerebeski, the acting branch manager for the city’s parks and roads services.

A prescribed burn is also planned this spring. That will be in the new the 190-acre Northeast River Valley Park, if conditions allow. It’s part of a shift to get ahead of any fires.

“It’s changing times and I think that’s undeniable,” Lazenby said.

“We’re moving with the times in terms of our preparedness.”

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2:02 Wildfire response ramps up in Alberta as officials track weather and drought impact

Last week, Alberta Wildfire officials said current conditions lead them to believe the 2025 wildfire season will be easier to manage than the last two years and they hope the weather continues to co-operate.

The 2023 and 2024 wildfire seasons in Alberta saw many communities be evacuated at times and scorched large amounts of land. Tucker recounted how 2023 was a record-breaking year with 2.2 million hectares of land having been burned. In 2024, firefighters battled more than 1,150 wildfires that burned about 700,000 hectares.

Last year saw Alberta’s wildfire season start in February due to drought conditions — earlier than it will in 2025. Alberta’s wildfire season officially begins on March 1 this year.

Watch the video above for more details.