Alberta has a serious firefighter problem heading into wildfire season

Alberta Wildfire

As Alberta braces for another wildfire season, alarm bells are ringing about the crew being sent out to fight them.

Driving the news: The province is struggling to retain its seasonal firefighters, a problem that has left largely inexperienced crews fighting increasingly frequent and intense wildfires.

The union representing the firefighters says less than half of them are returning to the front lines this year, largely because of low pay and a lack of health benefits.
Veteran firefighters say the lack of experience poses a serious safety threat, as firefighters with only one or two years of experience are now leading wildfire crews.

Why it matters: Alberta’s woes are part of a nationwide shortage of experienced firefighters. Career firefighters make up only 29% of all firefighters in Canada, while the rest of the positions are filled by a dwindling number of volunteers.

In 2016, 126,000 volunteers served as firefighters across Canada. In 2022, that number fell to 90,000.
Out of the hundreds of firefighters who travelled from other provinces and countries to lend a hand, most were sent to Alberta.

What’s next: Alberta’s hiring 100 more firefighters this year, but with this season expected to be just as bad, if not worse, than last year, some experts say it won’t be enough.

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