Current wildfire levels “substantially better shape” than 2024, says Loewen

He says they are adding another night-vision helicopter to the province’s arsenal, a “real game changer” in recent years to fight fires around the clock, especially at night. There will also be a pilot project with hoist-equipped helicopters being used this year to deploy crews in hard-to-access areas.

Loewen notes the government is focused on a three-pronged approach to tackle the threat of catastrophic wildfires which entails; prevention, mitigation and readiness to respond.

“A key part of prevention efforts is stopping wildfires before they start, it is essential every Albertan understands that wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility. Every action counts in protecting our communities and our natural resources.”

There will be the same number of contracted firefighters hired in the province in 2025 as there were in 2024.

“The recruitment has been fantastic, we have all the numbers that we need right now, we’re just finalizing the hiring process. They’ve all passed their fitness test and offered contracts to them.”

Loewen says a majority of Alberta’s wildland firefighters are post-secondary students and do this job in between their studies, so they get them for maybe one to three fire seasons.

He assures Albertans that we are well prepared heading into wildfire season and in “substantially better shape than we were last year” when January 1, 2024, had 63 holdover fires, compared to January 1, 2025, when there were six.

Also, $15 million has been allocated over three years for projects in communities in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Municipalities/communities can apply through the Forest Improvement Association of Alberta’s (FRIAA) Community Fireguard and FireSmart programs to be able to potentially access this funding.

There is also $10.8 million in this year’s provincial budget to make sure Albertans have easier access to FireSmart resources to protect homes and properties.

Meantime, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), says the Alberta government has learned nothing from last year’s devastating wildfire season and is again failing to recruit and retain wildland firefighters.

“It seems that Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen is satisfied that we won’t be fully crewed and trained until mid-May, well into peak fire season,” says James Gault, vice-president of AUPE.

“We heard the same reassurances in 2024, but we later learned that crews weren’t ready when we needed them. That’s the same story we heard today,” says Gault.

Alberta continues to lose experienced firefighters to other jurisdictions that offer better pay, longer contracts and better protection from cancer, which is a real threat to firefighter health.

“Ontario offered a $10,000 signing bonus because it recognizes the need to be ready for increasingly frequent and intense fires caused by global warming,” says Gault.

“Minister Loewen is focused on hiring a majority of students for one or two years and letting them move on to other jurisdictions. He sees no need to do anything to keep experienced firefighters, despite the devastation we have seen to our communities, including Jasper and Fort McMurray.”

Alberta needs more boots on the ground to fight fires, but spending allocated in the budget is focused on equipment, not crews.

“We need to be ready, but we see no plan to improve our ability to recruit and retain firefighters in the numbers we need and with the experience that we need. Alberta will continue to do what it has always done – and will continue to lose out to other jurisdictions,” says Gault.

“Alberta is gambling on a quiet fire season. If the government is wrong, Albertans will pay the price.”

by Erika Rolling