Nova Scotia’s premier said Wednesday services are at the ready in case Alberta Premier Rachel Notley makes a call for help from the province.
The city of Fort McMurray has been completely evacuated as crews struggle to battle an out of control wildfire that’s wreaking havoc on the northern Alberta city.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray wildfire: How Canadians can help
“We’re watching this with real shock,” Premier Stephen McNeil said.
“Many of us know family, friends who have gone to Fort Mac looking for work, see that as part of their extended community.”
Nova Scotia’s Emergency Management Office is in talks with its counterpart in Alberta should any help be requested. Firefighters specially trained in fighting wildfires and equipment are all being offered to Alberta.
“We’ve let them know we are ready and able and willing to help and all they need to do is ask,” McNeil said.
READ MORE: Ontario sending 100 firefighters to battle Fort McMurray wildfire
At this point the Liberals haven’t committed any money to the recovery effort. McNeil said he’s waiting to see what the final cost is before deciding whether Nova Scotia will contribute.
“When it comes to looking at what role we can play in terms of putting Fort Mac back together, that will be a future discussion,” McNeil said.
15 Nova Scotia firefighters could go to Alberta
Natural Resources Minister Lloyd Hines said between 12 and 15 firefighters could be sent to Alberta, however so far the province hasn’t asked for any crews from Nova Scotia.
If firefighters are sent to Alberta only one or two members will be sent from each field office to make sure resources at home aren’t depleted. Last year Nova Scotia sent some of its firefighters to help with wildfires in British Columbia.
READ MORE: ‘It’s like Armageddon here’: Fort McMurray resident who stayed in town during fire describes city
Whether it’s equipment or bodies that Fort McMurray needs, Hines said they’ll make resources available.
“We have trained firefighters in each of our 28 field offices, and we have four helicopters that are available and then we have firefighting trucks in each of our field offices that are specifically designed to fight forest fires with pumps aboard,” he said.
Sharing emergency resources between provinces is a long standing tradition in Canada. A mutual aid agreement means that provinces can rely on others to help during emergencies. Hines said “it’s quite possible” that Nova Scotia will send resources to Alberta.
“Even on the clean up side we might supply people,” Hines said. “We have expertise not just in firefighting but in other parts of the process, but that call is up to the people who are at the core.”
WATCH: Fort McMurray deals with evacuations, devastation in midst of out-of-control wildfire
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Powerful video captures resident’s escape from Fort McMurray wildfire -
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PM Trudeau explains how Canadians across the country can help people in Fort McMurray -
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Wood Buffalo municipality spokesperson: Fort McMurray is comparable to a war zone -
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Prime Minister Trudeau pledges ‘total support’ of federal government to combat Fort McMurray wildfire -
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Fort McMurray fire update: Blazing heat, strong wind expected to hinder emergency crews -
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Massive wildfire in Fort McMurray prompts largest fire evacuation in Alberta’s history -
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Fort McMurray wildfire: Video captures audio of emergency crews struggling to contain blaze -
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Abandoned vehicles, houses on fire line routes out of Fort McMurray -
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Fort McMurray residents battle thick smoke during evacuation -
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Fires spread too quickly forcing Fort McMurray evacuation
Minister of Municipal Affairs Zach Churchill said EMO is also ready should Alberta need assistance in the efforts to fight and contain the fire.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray wildfire: Why the fire engulfed the city within hours
“Our role is a coordinative one, we have reached out to our counterparts in Alberta and offered our assistance and we are ready and on standby,” Churchill said.
Churchill added that EMO is constantly engaging in training exercises with first responders to ensure they’re prepared to deal with an event like this.
Rallying Nova Scotians to help Fort McMurray
There are few statistics on how many Nova Scotians work in the oil sands but its predicted to be in the thousands.
The long standing tradition of Maritimers going to Alberta to work in the oil sands means this hits close to home for families out east, Tory leader Jamie Baillie said.
“This is a Nova Scotia family moment, everyone is wondering what can we do,” Baillie said.
Baillie says Nova Scotia should rally around Fort McMurray, just like the economy out west has helped families in the east for years.
“Our own family members are out there, they’ve been sending money to Nova Scotia for a decade,” Baillie said. “If we can pool our resources here and help our own family that’s out there, then we should be finding ways to do that.”
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