Sask. wildfire prep starting early, but no new firefighters being hired

Preparations for wildfire season are starting two weeks earlier than usual in Saskatchewan this year.

However, Saskatchewan is bringing in the same number of seasonal firefighters as last year, unlike other western provinces like Alberta and B.C., which are adding more.

Below-average precipitation, continuing drought conditions and predictions of high temperatures mean many areas in the province are at higher risk of grass fires, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) president Marlo Pritchard said at a news conference Monday.

Ground crews will be ready to respond as early as next week and air crews began training on Monday, Pritchard said.

Alberta announced earlier this year it would be hiring 100 new firefighters, and B.C. is expanding recruitment after last year's destructive fire season.

Saskatchewan will have 220 Type 1 firefighters and 410 Type 2 firefighters this summer, according to the SPSA.

Type 1 crews consist of trained and experienced staff that perform initial and sustained attacks on fires.

Type 2 crews are local workers who respond as needed and work on projects in their home communities in times of low fire danger.

"We are expecting a season that will be average or above average," Steve Roberts, vice president of operations at SPSA, said at the news conference.

"We currently cannot predict the number of fires or the size of those fires. It will be 100 per cent a combination of factors including weather, the number of fires, the size and location."

Steve Roberts is the vice-president of operations at the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). (Submitted by SPSA)

Roberts said that no wildfires are burning in Saskatchewan as of Monday.

Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook Searson says she welcomes the earlier start on preparation, but called for more hiring and equipment.

"We do need more trainers and more of our community members ready and equipped to fight the fires, because they could come at any time, and we are anticipating a very dry summer," Searson said.

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"We would need more firefighting pumps, more hoses to be more proactive, and then making sure that we're able to hire our own firefighters from our own communities right away so they can respond, radios for communication, safety gear and then also PPE."

Pritchard said a lot of fires start in spring.

"Some of those, like last year, became very large wildfires into early May that caused a number of evacuations," he said.

He said many spring fires are caused by humans and can be prevented. He suggested not driving a vehicle or ATV on dry grass, drowning campfires until embers are cool and talking to children about fire safety.

He also advised that property owners prune dead trees and keep their yards free of debris like dry leaves, and use the SaskAlert app to stay up to date on any wildfire alerts.

There were 494 wildfires Saskatchewan in 2023, surpassing the five-year average of 378 fires in the province. It was one of the busiest wildfire seasons in decades.

A total of 2,703 people were evacuated from communities, SPSA said. The amount of land burned in the province was five times the size of Prince Albert National Park.