Canada: Alberta wildfires force nearly 30,000 residents to flee

[spaminator]

Montreal offered firefighters, but Quebec took ones from France instead
SOPFEU says it prefers to recruit firefighters whose principal vocation is fighting wildfires, as they have specific qualifications and training.

Author of the article:Jason Magder • Montreal Gazette
Published Jun 07, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
"We're closer (than France) and we can lend a hand, but we were told by the province that for the moment, what they have is sufficient," Mayor Valérie Plante said about offering firefighters to help fight wildfires in northern Quebec.
"We're closer (than France) and we can lend a hand, but we were told by the province that for the moment, what they have is sufficient," Mayor Valérie Plante said about offering firefighters to help fight wildfires in northern Quebec.
With Quebec calling for reinforcements from Europe and the U.S., officials in the Montreal region are wondering why their firefighters were not asked to help fight wildfires in the province’s north.


The province is facing its worst wildfire season in history, with more than 130 fires burning by Thursday morning, mostly in the north and northwest of Quebec.


More than 11,000 people were forced from their homes this week in Chibougamau, Normétal and Lebel-sur-Quévillon and thousands more could be displaced in the coming days.

Public security officials said at a briefing that lightning strikes sparked at least 100 fires in the course of five or six hours over the weekend. Across Quebec, 200,000 hectares of woodland have been affected. Premier François Legault said Quebec has the resources for now to manage around 30 of the fires, with the priorities of saving lives, cities and critical Hydro-Québec infrastructure. But with so much burning and other provinces dealing with their own fires, the province has had to search for help beyond its borders.


“We need all the help possible,” Legault said.

Over the next week, about 100 firefighters from France and the U.S. are expected to arrive. More than 200 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are expected to help fight the fires and assist with evacuations. SOPFEU, the province’s forest fire prevention agency, has deployed all of its 475 employees already.

However, it appears the province forgot to look in its own backyard, as Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the cities in the metropolitan region have firefighters willing and ready to help. Plante added she was surprised the cities of Montreal, Laval and Longueuil were not called by the province’s Public Security Ministry to provide reinforcements.

“We’re closer (than France) and we can lend a hand, but we were told by the province that for the moment, what they have is sufficient,” Plante told reporters Wednesday. “I think you have to ask (Public Security Minister François) Bonnardel (why).”


She said as the city with the province’s largest fire department, Montreal has some firefighters to spare, but she did not know how many could be freed up to be deployed. Plante said Laval and Longueuil have also let the province know they have firefighters available to act as reinforcements.

Reached Wednesday, a spokesperson for Bonnardel referred questions about human resources to SOPFEU.

Mélanie Morin, a spokesperson for SOPFEU, said Wednesday night the province put out a call and has all the firefighters it can handle for the moment, as those coming from outside the province have to be trained. She explained that SOPFEU prefers to recruit firefighters whose principal vocation is fighting wildfires, as they have different qualifications and training from firefighters trained for blazes within structures.

jmagder@postmedia.com

twitter.com/jasonmagder

Montreal offered firefighters, but Quebec took ones from France instead

SOPFEU says it prefers to recruit firefighters whose principal vocation is fighting wildfires, as they have specific qualifications.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

"We're closer (than France)

These days, it's comforting to have a politician who knows that Montreal is closer to Quebec than France is.

Over the next week, about 100 firefighters from France and the U.S. are expected to arrive.

They'd be there now, but they can't get the damn ArriveCan app to work. . .

 

[harrylee]

 

[spaminator]

Experts worry about Canadian water bomber expertise with rising demand, aging fleets
The Canadair CL-415, a purpose-built water bomber, was last produced in 2015

Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Stephane Blais
Published Jun 08, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

MONTREAL — Aviation experts say Canada is losing expertise in the manufacturing of water bombers — just as demand for them is increasing.


The Canadair CL-415, a purpose-built water bomber, was last produced in 2015. That plane and its predecessor — the CL-215 — are the only water bombers used in Quebec and play major roles in the fleets of other provinces.


On Monday, water bombers from Montana were deployed in Quebec to support the province’s firefighters and its fleet of 14 CL-415s and CL-215s. Quebec is experiencing its worst fire season on record, following a record fire season in Nova Scotia.

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair told a news conference earlier this week that the provinces have enough equipment to fight the fires that are raging in several parts of the country. If necessary, he said, Ottawa would try to acquire additional equipment from other countries.

“But we have to know where (the equipment) is and how we can access it very quickly,” he said.

But finding planes quickly may be complicated because other countries are also fighting fires, said John Gradek, coordinator of McGill University’s aviation management program.

“The northern hemisphere is in the fire season,” he said in an interview. “We’ll be hard-pressed to find a country that can lend us planes.”


Gradek said he believes the provinces should have bought more tanker planes. “In Canada, we have 55 Canadair planes — a combination of CL-215s and CL-415s,” he said, adding that “considering the number of fires currently in the country, it’s absolutely insufficient.”

Some of those planes were built 50 years ago, he said.

“We don’t build these planes in Canada anymore ⦠we try to modify, to maintain and update the components of these planes,” he said.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault alluded to the maintenance challenges during a news conference earlier this week, standing in front of a CL-215 that was grounded for repairs.

“When we see a CL-215 that we can’t use because of maintenance issues, you have to ask yourself, do we need more mechanics? The answer is probably yes. Do we need to buy some additional new planes? I think that’s more the way we have to look at it,” he said.


In 2016, Bombardier, which acquired Canadair in the 1980s, sold its water bomber program to British Columbia-based Viking Air.

Viking Air, which plans to build a factory in Western Canada, could begin producing new water bombers in 2027, but those planes probably won’t be used to put out forest fires in Canada, Gradek said.

“The company will have the capacity to build 10 planes a year,” he said, adding that the first 25 are already intended for Indonesia, France, Spain and other European countries,

He said that if a Canadian province ordered a new CL-415, construction on it wouldn’t likely begin before 2030.

“Europeans want the new generation of the Canadair CL-415 and are ready to make major purchases,” he said, adding that the first generation of the plane was recognized for its performance around the world.


If the 2023 fire season is an indicator of what’s to come, countries will increasingly need this type of plane.

He said he would like to see the federal government support Viking Air, “not only so that it can start producing the CL-415, but also to increase the planned production capacity.”

Mehran Ebrahimi, director of the International Aeronautics and Civil Aviation Observatory at Universite du Quebec a Montreal, said he worries expertise is being lost, particularly in Quebec, since Bombardier ended production of Canadair water bombers.

“We’ve seen the effects of climate change around the world, so we could have put ourselves in a position not only to produce but also to strategically maintain and preserve our ability to build these aircraft, which require special expertise,” said the management professor.

Referring to the CL-215, Ebrahimi said, “these are planes that we produced and we can’t repair them? What happened there? Where has the expertise gone in the meantime?”

Experts worry about Canadian water bomber expertise with rising demand, aging fleets

Finding planes quickly may be complicated because other countries are also fighting fires

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Canada will continue to rely on foreign firefighters in coming years: Trudeau
PM noted other countries depend on Canadian firefighters to help them in return

Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Jun 14, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read

SAGUENAY, Que. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will continue to rely on foreign crews to help fight wildfires in the coming years as extreme weather events become more frequent.


Trudeau told reporters in Saguenay, Que., today that Canada will count on other countries to send help, in the same way other countries depend on Canadian firefighters to help them in return.


He said wildfire seasons fall at different times around the world, which allows for a “travelling of resources” that helps protect communities all over.

Meanwhile, more firefighters from abroad are expected to arrive today to help battle Canada’s worst wildfire season in decades.

Quebec’s public safety minister says about 240 firefighters from Portugal and Spain are set to join the contingents of French and American firefighters who are already helping fire efforts on the ground.

There had been hope in Quebec that rainy weather forecast this week would douse the blazes, but officials said today not enough rain has fallen to stop the fires that have left thousands of people out of their homes in the province.

Canada will continue to rely on foreign firefighters in coming years: Trudeau

He said wildfire seasons fall at different times around the world, which allows for a "travelling of resources"

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Wait. . . True Dope said something true and sensible?

OK, who wrote it for him?

Always state the obvious, cuz you can bet half of 'em won't get it.

 

[petros]

Wait. . . True Dope said something true and sensible?

OK, who wrote it for him?

Always state the obvious, cuz you can bet half of 'em won't get it.

This?

SAGUENAY, Que. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will continue to rely on foreign crews to help fight wildfires in the coming years as extreme weather events become more frequent.

The relying on others part is spot on because we don't have a Fed program. It's Provincial and the Provinces rely on each other and will contract out to foreign gov't and private entities.


The rest is bullshit.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Prime Minister Trudeau tweeted: “We’re seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change.”

That statement is false. Amid the smokescreen of untrue claims, nobody seems to have bothered looking up the numbers. Canadian forest fire data are available from the Wildland Fire Information System. Wildfires have been getting less frequent in Canada over the past 30 years. The annual number of fires grew from 1959 to 1990, peaking in 1989 at just over 12,000 that year, and has been trending down since. From 2017 to 2021 (the most recent interval available), there were about 5,500 fires per year, half the average from 1987 to 1991.

The annual area burned also peaked 30 years ago. It grew from 1959 to 1990, peaking in 1989 at 7.6 million hectares before declining to the current average of 2.4 million hectares per year over 2017-21. And 2020 marked the lowest point on record with only 760,000 hectares burned.

The record shows that the fraction of fires each year that become major (more than 200 hectares in size) peaked back in 1964 at 12.3 per cent. From 1959 to 1964, it averaged 8.7 per cent then dropped to 3.4 per cent in the early 1980s. As of 2017-21 interval, it had climbed again to 6.0 per cent, but that’s still well below the average 60 years ago.

Ross McKitrick: The truth about forest fires goes up in climate-change smoke — Financial Post

We're told we should listen to the science, but the science on forest fires is that they peaked in the 1980s

apple.news

The body of the story at the above link.

When it comes to climate change, we’re constantly told to “follow the science.” Yet the same people who say that also regularly fabricate claims about trends in forest fires, both here in Canada and globally, and the connection to climate change. Science tells us forest fires are not becoming more common and the average area burned peaked 30 years ago. It also tells us we could do better at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, if we’re prepared to make the effort.

 

[petros]

Prime Minister Trudeau tweeted: “We’re seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change.”

That statement is false. Amid the smokescreen of untrue claims, nobody seems to have bothered looking up the numbers. Canadian forest fire data are available from the Wildland Fire Information System. Wildfires have been getting less frequent in Canada over the past 30 years. The annual number of fires grew from 1959 to 1990, peaking in 1989 at just over 12,000 that year, and has been trending down since. From 2017 to 2021 (the most recent interval available), there were about 5,500 fires per year, half the average from 1987 to 1991.

The annual area burned also peaked 30 years ago. It grew from 1959 to 1990, peaking in 1989 at 7.6 million hectares before declining to the current average of 2.4 million hectares per year over 2017-21. And 2020 marked the lowest point on record with only 760,000 hectares burned.

The record shows that the fraction of fires each year that become major (more than 200 hectares in size) peaked back in 1964 at 12.3 per cent. From 1959 to 1964, it averaged 8.7 per cent then dropped to 3.4 per cent in the early 1980s. As of 2017-21 interval, it had climbed again to 6.0 per cent, but that’s still well below the average 60 years ago.

Ross McKitrick: The truth about forest fires goes up in climate-change smoke — Financial Post

We're told we should listen to the science, but the science on forest fires is that they peaked in the 1980s

apple.news

The body of the story at the above link.

When it comes to climate change, we’re constantly told to “follow the science.” Yet the same people who say that also regularly fabricate claims about trends in forest fires, both here in Canada and globally, and the connection to climate change. Science tells us forest fires are not becoming more common and the average area burned peaked 30 years ago. It also tells us we could do better at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, if we’re prepared to make the effort.

Gees, you sound like Tony Heller with all those facts and such.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Just offering perspective, & an opposite position to debate.

 

[petros]

Just offering perspective, & an opposite position to debate.

It's not hard to call bullshit when you have fact and reality on your side but when dealing with the greenwashed truth and fact are useless.

 

[Taxslave2]

Montreal offered firefighters, but Quebec took ones from France instead
SOPFEU says it prefers to recruit firefighters whose principal vocation is fighting wildfires, as they have specific qualifications and training.

Author of the article:Jason Magder • Montreal Gazette
Published Jun 07, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
"We're closer (than France) and we can lend a hand, but we were told by the province that for the moment, what they have is sufficient," Mayor Valérie Plante said about offering firefighters to help fight wildfires in northern Quebec.
"We're closer (than France) and we can lend a hand, but we were told by the province that for the moment, what they have is sufficient," Mayor Valérie Plante said about offering firefighters to help fight wildfires in northern Quebec.
With Quebec calling for reinforcements from Europe and the U.S., officials in the Montreal region are wondering why their firefighters were not asked to help fight wildfires in the province’s north.


The province is facing its worst wildfire season in history, with more than 130 fires burning by Thursday morning, mostly in the north and northwest of Quebec.


More than 11,000 people were forced from their homes this week in Chibougamau, Normétal and Lebel-sur-Quévillon and thousands more could be displaced in the coming days.

Public security officials said at a briefing that lightning strikes sparked at least 100 fires in the course of five or six hours over the weekend. Across Quebec, 200,000 hectares of woodland have been affected. Premier François Legault said Quebec has the resources for now to manage around 30 of the fires, with the priorities of saving lives, cities and critical Hydro-Québec infrastructure. But with so much burning and other provinces dealing with their own fires, the province has had to search for help beyond its borders.


“We need all the help possible,” Legault said.

Over the next week, about 100 firefighters from France and the U.S. are expected to arrive. More than 200 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are expected to help fight the fires and assist with evacuations. SOPFEU, the province’s forest fire prevention agency, has deployed all of its 475 employees already.

However, it appears the province forgot to look in its own backyard, as Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the cities in the metropolitan region have firefighters willing and ready to help. Plante added she was surprised the cities of Montreal, Laval and Longueuil were not called by the province’s Public Security Ministry to provide reinforcements.

“We’re closer (than France) and we can lend a hand, but we were told by the province that for the moment, what they have is sufficient,” Plante told reporters Wednesday. “I think you have to ask (Public Security Minister François) Bonnardel (why).”


She said as the city with the province’s largest fire department, Montreal has some firefighters to spare, but she did not know how many could be freed up to be deployed. Plante said Laval and Longueuil have also let the province know they have firefighters available to act as reinforcements.

Reached Wednesday, a spokesperson for Bonnardel referred questions about human resources to SOPFEU.

Mélanie Morin, a spokesperson for SOPFEU, said Wednesday night the province put out a call and has all the firefighters it can handle for the moment, as those coming from outside the province have to be trained. She explained that SOPFEU prefers to recruit firefighters whose principal vocation is fighting wildfires, as they have different qualifications and training from firefighters trained for blazes within structures.

jmagder@postmedia.com

twitter.com/jasonmagder

Montreal offered firefighters, but Quebec took ones from France instead

SOPFEU says it prefers to recruit firefighters whose principal vocation is fighting wildfires, as they have specific qualifications.

torontosun.com

They do have sort of a point. But, most municipal firefighters that have rural areas also take wildfire training, and also have the proper equipment for urban interface fires. I don't know about Quebec, but BC Wildfire Service does not have much in the way of sprinkler systems available, while the fire departments in rural areas do have the equipment, and practice with it.

 

[petros]

They do have sort of a point. But, most municipal firefighters that have rural areas also take wildfire training, and also have the proper equipment for urban interface fires. I don't know about Quebec, but BC Wildfire Service does not have much in the way of sprinkler systems available, while the fire departments in rural areas do have the equipment, and practice with it.

They get Fed funds if they contract out which says it's not that big of a fire or concern if they have time.

 

[Taxslave2]

Wait. . . True Dope said something true and sensible?

OK, who wrote it for him?

Always state the obvious, cuz you can bet half of 'em won't get it.

Last time I looked, Spain and Portugal are both in the Northern Hemisphere, which means they tend to have fires the same time we do.
There is one other thing I forgot to add in my last post. By stripping city departments of their crews to fight forest fires, cities become more vulnerable to their own fires and rescue needs.

 

[Taxslave2]

Prime Minister Trudeau tweeted: “We’re seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change.”

That statement is false. Amid the smokescreen of untrue claims, nobody seems to have bothered looking up the numbers. Canadian forest fire data are available from the Wildland Fire Information System. Wildfires have been getting less frequent in Canada over the past 30 years. The annual number of fires grew from 1959 to 1990, peaking in 1989 at just over 12,000 that year, and has been trending down since. From 2017 to 2021 (the most recent interval available), there were about 5,500 fires per year, half the average from 1987 to 1991.

The annual area burned also peaked 30 years ago. It grew from 1959 to 1990, peaking in 1989 at 7.6 million hectares before declining to the current average of 2.4 million hectares per year over 2017-21. And 2020 marked the lowest point on record with only 760,000 hectares burned.

The record shows that the fraction of fires each year that become major (more than 200 hectares in size) peaked back in 1964 at 12.3 per cent. From 1959 to 1964, it averaged 8.7 per cent then dropped to 3.4 per cent in the early 1980s. As of 2017-21 interval, it had climbed again to 6.0 per cent, but that’s still well below the average 60 years ago.

Ross McKitrick: The truth about forest fires goes up in climate-change smoke — Financial Post

We're told we should listen to the science, but the science on forest fires is that they peaked in the 1980s

apple.news

The body of the story at the above link.

When it comes to climate change, we’re constantly told to “follow the science.” Yet the same people who say that also regularly fabricate claims about trends in forest fires, both here in Canada and globally, and the connection to climate change. Science tells us forest fires are not becoming more common and the average area burned peaked 30 years ago. It also tells us we could do better at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, if we’re prepared to make the effort.

Also completely ignored the fact that the majority of fires this year have been human caused. Many deliberately, some normal human stupidity.
One woman was charged with starting 32 fires so far in Alberta, and there have been others.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Also completely ignored the fact that the majority of fires this year have been human caused. Many deliberately, some normal human stupidity.
One woman was charged with starting 32 fires so far in Alberta, and there have been others.

So you’re saying these arsonists are caused by climate change?

 

[petros]

Also completely ignored the fact that the majority of fires this year have been human caused. Many deliberately, some normal human stupidity.
One woman was charged with starting 32 fires so far in Alberta, and there have been others.

So you’re saying these arsonists are caused by climate change?

She was a couple years ago.

 

[Taxslave2]

So you’re saying these arsonists are caused by climate change?

Must be. If the fires are caused by climate change, then the arsonists that lit them must also be the result of climate change.

 

[petros]

Must be. If the fires are caused by climate change, then the arsonists that lit them must also be the result of climate change.

Or caused by lesbians.

A number of the firefighters working on the prescribed burn Wednesday were part of the Women-in-Fire Training Exchange program currently taking place in Banff. Park said WTREX is a training program for experienced firefighters from across the globe and called the team working the blaze the “cream of the crop.”

“They are all certified firefighters from around the world who have their certifications. So the training was not specifically for them to get certified to be firefighters,” said Park. “Regardless of whether the prescribed fire had a burn window during this training or not, we would have had resources here — especially given where it is located.”

How a fire went from ‘prescribed burn’ to out of control in an instant near Banff

Some residents were evacuated and horses had to be quickly relocated as winds changed direction and pushed the fire out of the control area

calgaryherald.com

Burning Down Barriers: Female Firefighter Conference Causes 'Out of Control' Forest Fire

What happened: Female firefighters taking part in a Women-in-Fire Training Exchange program—intended to promote "mental health and gender diversity and inclusio

ground.news

It was so empowering that the men got involved.

 

[Taxslave2]

Or caused by lesbians.

A number of the firefighters working on the prescribed burn Wednesday were part of the Women-in-Fire Training Exchange program currently taking place in Banff. Park said WTREX is a training program for experienced firefighters from across the globe and called the team working the blaze the “cream of the crop.”

“They are all certified firefighters from around the world who have their certifications. So the training was not specifically for them to get certified to be firefighters,” said Park. “Regardless of whether the prescribed fire had a burn window during this training or not, we would have had resources here — especially given where it is located.”

How a fire went from ‘prescribed burn’ to out of control in an instant near Banff

Some residents were evacuated and horses had to be quickly relocated as winds changed direction and pushed the fire out of the control area

calgaryherald.com

Burning Down Barriers: Female Firefighter Conference Causes 'Out of Control' Forest Fire

What happened: Female firefighters taking part in a Women-in-Fire Training Exchange program—intended to promote "mental health and gender diversity and inclusio

ground.news

Shit happens.Most certainly not the first prescribed fire that didn’t read the game plan before getting out of control.