Canada and Saskatchewan Announce Major Investment to Purchase More Wildfire Equipment and Increase Resilience to Wildfires

SASKATOON, SK, Aug. 14, 2024 /CNW/ - With another challenging wildfire season underway and wildfires increasing in frequency and severity across Canada — impacting our health, economies, communities and wildlife — the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are supporting Canadians and residents of Saskatchewan who are threatened by wildfires. For the remainder of the 2024 wildfire season, Saskatchewan is forecasted to experience above-average wildfire activity.

Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, with the Honourable Paul Merriman, Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety for Saskatchewan, announced a joint investment of over $47.7 million over five years under the Government of Canada's Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program (FMWCC) – Equipment Fund and the Resilient Communities through FireSmart (RCF) Program.

A joint investment of $44.8 million through the FMWCC – Equipment Fund will support Saskatchewan's efforts to purchase wildland firefighting equipment such as handheld two-way radios, protection sprinklers and hoses, and flotation and protection pumps and pump kits. Both Canada and Saskatchewan are providing $22.4 million each over five years. This funding will further improve fire management efforts in Saskatchewan by procuring and upgrading specialized wildland firefighting equipment and by hiring and training personnel to better prepare for and respond to wildfires. This will enhance safety for communities and firefighters and improve the sharing of resources across Canada. Funding is already flowing, and the province has purchased equipment that is already helping fire fighters in battling wildfires this season.

This funding also builds on last year's $524,780 contribution to the Prince Albert Grand Council Indigenous Wildfire Stewards Pilot Program. The contribution came from Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan) FMWCC – Training Fund, which provides support to primarily Indigenous communities and organizations to train firefighters and to increase NRCan's understanding of the needs and barriers in this space.

A joint investment of over $2.9 million, made through the RCF Program, will enhance wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts and expand the adoption of FireSmart in Saskatchewan. Both Canada and Saskatchewan are providing over $1.4 million through the program. With this funding, Saskatchewan will establish whole-of-society governance to increase community wildfire prevention and mitigation initiatives.

Keeping Canadians safe and healthy is a top priority for both governments. By working together with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities and international allies, the federal government continues to address and support the fight against wildfires, ensure public safety and protect homes, livelihoods and lives.

Quotes

"The federal government is urgently working to respond to these fires by providing provinces, territories and partners with the support they need to address the challenges posed by wildfires. Today's announcement with the Government of Saskatchewan highlights our commitment to working together to mitigate and respond to wildfires through the Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program and the promotion of FireSmart Canada as a national program. Through tangible and fast-flowing funding, the Government of Canada is helping to address the current wildfire season and prepare for future challenges."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

"The Government of Saskatchewan welcomes the federal government's commitment to collaborate in maintaining our wildland firefighting equipment and reinforcing the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. Through this partnership, we can enhance public safety and deliver a strong, coordinated response to wildfires across the province."

The Honourable Paul Merriman
Saskatchewan's Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada is working with communities and organizations affected by wildfires to better understand the unique role the federal government plays in serving these communities; to offer nationally recognized equipment to support all firefighters to be better equipped to respond to wildland fires; and to support a more sustainable approach to training, employment and all-hazards management in Indigenous communities and beyond.
• The FMWCC Equipment Fund was launched in 2022 to proactively invest in and support provincial and territorial efforts in strengthening fire management capacities and capabilities across the country. By facilitating the purchase of wildland firefighting equipment, such as fire crew trucks and personal protective equipment, the fund aims to increase capacity to respond to wildland fires.
• Under Natural Resources Canada's FMWCC – Equipment Fund, provinces and territories must cost-share investments with the Government of Canada for equipment, such as vehicles, mobile units, avionics upgrades (parts), hoses, pumps and enhanced communications equipment, and for the repair of aging equipment and training.
• FireSmart Canada, a national program within the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, empowers Canadians to increase neighborhood resilience to wildfires and minimize their negative impacts. It offers resources, programs and recommendations designed to help individuals, landscape planners, forest managers and others protect homes and communities from wildland fires. 
• Visit Canada.ca/wildfires for a complete list of links to various federal supports for individuals impacted by wildfires.

Related products

• Canadian Wildland Fire Information System: Monthly and Seasonal Forecasts
• Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy
• Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program
• WildFireSat: Enhancing Canada's ability to manage wildfires
• Wildfire Resilient Futures Initiative
• Wildfires – Canada.ca 
• Canada's National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Contacts: Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6100, [email protected]; Cindy Caturao, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, 613-795-5638, [email protected]; Stephanie Wilkinson, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, 306-798-0094, [email protected]