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Tag: Canada

Fifty years of wildland fire science in Canada

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,
Canada -- fire causes, humans and lightning
Stacked bar graph showing the number of new human- and lightning-caused fire occurrences (≥2 ha) for each day of the year from 1959 to 2018. Figure adapted from Coogan et al. 2020. (From “Fifty years of wildland fire science in Canada”)

A group of nine land managers and researchers in Canada have put together a compendium highlighting the country’s accomplishments in wildland fire science over the last 50 years. Information in the 296 pages plus more than 300 references covers five key developments and contributions:

  • The creation of the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System;
  • The relationships between wildland fire and weather, climate, and climate change;
  • Fire ecology;
  • Operational decision support; and,
  • Wildland fire management.

There is also a case study about the evolution of wildland fire management in Banff National Park.

Banff NP, wildfire vs Rx fires
Annual area burned by wildfire and prescribed fire in Banff National Park from 1910 to 2018. Note the long period of fire exclusion from the 1940s until the early 1980s. (From “Fifty years of wildland fire science in Canada”)

The paper discusses additional research needs, including:

  • Further evaluation of fire severity measurements and effects;
  • Efficacy of fuel management treatments; Climate change effects and mitigation;
  • Further refinement of models pertaining to fire risk analysis, fire behaviour, and fire weather; and,
  • Integration of forest management and ecological restoration with wildland fire risk reduction.
Canadian wildland fire research, by decade
Timeline of some key developments in Canadian wildland fire science by decade from the 1970s to the 2010s. FWI, Fire Weather Index System; FBP, Fire Behaviour Prediction System; NSERC, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. (From “Fifty years of wildland fire science in Canada”)

The paper is available at Canadian Science Publishing (html). A .pdf version is also online.

Authors of the referenced online document: Sean C.P. Coogan, Lori D. Daniels, Den Boychuk, Philip J. Burton, Mike D. Flannigan, Sylvie Gauthier, Victor Kafka, Jane S. Park, and B. Mike Wotton.

Some of Alberta’s largest wildfires from 2019 were extinguished this fall

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , ,

After burning for about 18 months

Alberta fires of 2019 extinguished fall of 2020

Alberta Wildfire posted the above on November 3, 2020.

The Chuckegg Creek Fire in the northwest part of the province burned 820,000 acres according to Wikipedia. It apparently burned for about 18 months. Fires burning in heavy fuels can sometimes continue smoldering in roots or stump holes under a blanket of snow throughout the winter, then emerge in the spring or summer.

wildfires in Northern Alberta May 28, 2019 Satellite photo
Satellite photo showing the location of wildfires in Northern Alberta May 28, 2019. Click to enlarge.

300 firefighters from Canada are assisting with wildfires in Washington and Oregon

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 10 Comments on 300 firefighters from Canada are assisting with wildfires in Washington and Oregon

September 19, 2020  |  4:24 p.m. PDT

Darron Williams welcomes Canadian firefighters from the Merritt Fire Zone, B.C. L to R: Edge, John Noel, Darron Williams, Kendra Finch, and Steffens Hunt. NWCC photo.

Approximately 300 firefighters from Canada are in Washington and Oregon assisting with the Siege of ’20.

Canadian firefighters arrive in Redmond, Oregon
Canadian firefighters arrive in Redmond, Oregon. US Forest Service photo by Andre’ Ruoti.

Canada to partially fulfill the United States’ request for firefighting help

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 8 Comments on Canada to partially fulfill the United States’ request for firefighting help

Australia is considering it

Updated September 2, 2020 | 8:58 a.m. PDT

Early last week the United States requested help from Australia and Canada in battling the wildfires in California and other states. The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group, through the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), asked Canada for four to five 20-person hand crews and requested 55 overhead personnel from Australia.

The three 20-person crews from Quebec will be arriving in Boise Wednesday September 2. They will receive a briefing orientation and participate in fire shelter deployment training. After a one-night rest in Boise, the crews will fly to Reno, Nevada and board ground transportation to their fire assignment on the North Complex in California. The North Complex consists of numerous lightning fires being managed as one incident on the Plumas National Forest.

As for the status of the request for 55 overhead positions from down under, “Australia is on hold for now,” Ms. Cobb said. “They are assessing the need for the types of personnel being requested as our fire situation evolves.”

Australia is approaching the beginning of their 2020-2021 summer bushfire season.

From The Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

The ABC understands anyone who wants to go to California will have to pass strict health tests and age will be taken into consideration because of COVID-19.

Those who go to California will have to quarantine for two weeks when they return to Australia, which [Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council CEO Stuart] Ellis said he expected would play a role in deciding who goes.

“That needs to be factored into each (fire) commissioner’s consideration of their people’s availability,” he said.

“Not only will they be absent for the period they are in the United States, but they will also need to spend two weeks in quarantine on return to Australia.”

Queensland will not send anyone because the state is about to enter their fire season and Victoria will not assist due to the health crisis. New South Wales, the ACT, and Western Australia are considering their options.

The final decision is up to each state and territory, but Ellis said he is optimistic Australia will either meet or come close to the requested number.

California has asked for help to arrive by September 6.

It is possible that the fire authorities in Australia may be in a very awkward position. During their extraordinarily busy 2019-2020 summer bushfire season, the U.S. deployed more than 200 U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior wildland fire staff to the Australian Bushfire response.

Firefighters in Australia asked to travel to America could think they would be entering a more risky environment by accepting an assignment where the COVID-19 death rate is 21 times higher per 100,000 population — 2.63 in Australia compared to 56.12 in the U.S. The death rate in Canada is less than half of the U.S. rate, 24.75.

Australia and New Zealand sent 44 fire specialists to assist the United States in 2008, and 68 in 2015. They may have helped out in other years also.

The California National Guard and active duty soldiers from the U.S. Army are being mobilized for firefighting duty in the U.S.

United States is seeking firefighting help from Canada and Australia

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 1 Comment on United States is seeking firefighting help from Canada and Australia
Incident Management Teams arrive in Victoria, Australi
File photo of Incident Management Teams from the United States arriving in Victoria, Australia. Photo posted February 11, 2020 by Emergency Management Victoria.

The United State is reaching out to Canada and Australia, hoping to get more than 130 firefighters to assist with the battling the 93 uncontained wildfires in the country.

In spite of the travel difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group is “working on a request for 55 overhead wildland fire personnel from Australia and about four to five crews from Canada”, said Kari Cobb, an Acting Public Affairs Officer at the National Interagency Fire Center. In the United States, hand crews usually consist of 20 people.

If the Australian’s accept the assignment, they will be leaving a continent where the virus has been nearly controlled, to come to a country where the opposite is true.

The international assistance has worked in both directions. In July, 2008, 44 Australian and New Zealand firefighters came to the United States to assist with fires in California. The first deployment of firefighters from Australia to the U.S. was in 2000.

Although Australia is no stranger to wildfires, the 2019-2020 season was one of the worst fire seasons on record. Major bushfires began in June, 2019, and by September were stronger, more intense, and more frequent. The fire situation continued to worsen, and by November, Australia requested international assistance to suppress the thousands of fires on the landscape.

Over a span of four months, the United States responded to the request for firefighters by providing personnel from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Park Service. In total, The U.S. deployed more than 200 USFS and DOI wildland fire staff to the Australian Bushfire response.

Alberta hired an additional 200 wildland firefighters this year

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , , 3 Comments on Alberta hired an additional 200 wildland firefighters this year

An Incident Management Team developed a response plan for the COVID-19 pandemic

fire camp in Alberta
A fire camp in Alberta. Photo by Alberta Wildfire.

Alberta Wildfire has hired an extra 200 firefighters for the 2020 season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their objectives in wildfire suppression remain to contain the spread of a fire spread by 10:00 a.m. the following day, and to initiate suppression before the fire exceeds two hectares (4.9 acres) in size.

Like their counterparts in the United States, the agency tasked an Incident Management Team to develop a response plan to ensure they can safely and effectively manage wildfires during the pandemic. They reviewed how the agency fights wildfire and adopted best practices on physical distancing, hygiene, travel, and isolation.

All firefighters will complete a screening form prior to starting each shift.

Special procedures have been established for fire camps:

  • There will be greater availability of hand washing stations at all wildfire facilities.
  • Surfaces in washrooms and common areas will be cleaned more frequently.
  • The number of people gathering in one location will be limited (for example: outdoor dining will be encouraged).
  • Physical distancing measures will be observed where possible. Training will be conducted by webinar and in smaller groups rather than in one large central location.
  • Buffet-style meals will be discontinued. Food will instead be plated and served, or individually bagged.
  • Staff quarters will be reduced to single room occupancy in permanent camps or single occupancy tents.
  • The use of contracted camps, hotels and tents will be increased to supplement our operations when needed.
  • When traveling in vehicles and helicopters, where physical distancing is not an option, additional precautionary measures will be taken, including ensuring all parties wear appropriate facial covering/non-medical masks.
  • New protocols will ensure equipment and frequently-touched surfaces in vehicles and helicopters are sanitized regularly.
  • Camp contractors must meet new requirements to protect staff. This includes requirements for meal service and cleaning, as well as providing additional facilities and equipment as needed to reduce the risk of contamination.
  • The health of staff will be monitored regularly and those suspected of infection will be immediately isolated and treated.

A fire ban was introduced in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta as well as in Alberta Provincial Parks to reduce the number of human-caused wildfires and help firefighters focus on existing wildfires. An off-highway vehicle restriction was also introduced using a phased approach based on hazard. The fines for not complying with a fire ban or OHV restriction were doubled, to further reduce the number of human-caused wildfires.

Alberta firefighters social distance
Photo by Alberta Wildfire.

In addition to these deterrents, the Government of Alberta announced an investment of $5 million to create an extra 200 firefighting positions. An additional $20 million in FireSmart funding was announced to go towards projects that will reduce the risk to communities caused by wildfire.