Alberta sends firefighters to help battle Quebec wildfires

Alberta is sending 41 firefighters to Quebec to help battle wildfires burning in that province. These firefighters will join the two airtankers Alberta sent to the province on May 22.

Recent rain and cooler temperatures in Alberta have reduced the wildfire danger to the point where these firefighters can be sent to work in other parts of the country. Alberta’s fire danger is continually monitored, and a sufficient number of firefighters are on hand to quickly respond to any new wildfires detected in the Forest Protection Area. These exported firefighters can be recalled very quickly should the wildfire situation in Alberta change unexpectedly.

The exchange of firefighting personnel and equipment is made possible through resource-sharing agreements Alberta has in place with firefighting agencies across North America. Alberta is an active participant in these agreements and has sent firefighting resources to other parts of the country in the past.

Last year Alberta sent more than 100 firefighting personnel to Ontario to help fight wildfires in that province.

When wildfire danger and activity was high in Alberta last year, the province received nearly 1,900 firefighting personnel and various equipment from firefighting agencies across Canada and the State of Jalisco, in Mexico.

Since April 1, Alberta has recorded 497 wildfires, which have burned more than 3,300 hectares of land.

For more information about wildfires in Alberta, visit www.srd.alberta.ca/wildfire.