The Canadian government is doubling its investment to train urban firefighters to battle wildfires
According to Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, the government is disbursing $800,000 to the International Association of Fire Fighters to carry out additional training.
The amount is twice the sum spent last year on 25 instructors who later trained over 300 firefighters in Chilliwack and Kamloops, B.C, and Grand Prairie, Alta.
The effect of climate change and population growth are collaborating to increase the risk of wildfires occurring in or near urban areas.
Wilkinson said around four million Canadians now live in areas where combustible forests are prevalent.
A wildfire razed the village of Lytton, B.C. in 2021 and wildfires razed neighbourhoods in Halifax and Kelowna, B.C., and forced the evacuation of the entire city of Yellowknife in 2023.
Recent spring fire forecast suggests there could be a major risk of a repeat of last year’s unprecedented wildfire season.
Above-average temperatures, limited rain, and snow have left drought-like situations across much of Canada, with tinder-dry forests and grasslands.
Wilkinson said the forecast is not a prediction as precipitation levels are not easy to assess this early in the season.
He added that the plan is to brace up for the worst and hope for the best.
