The Alberta government will use Budget 2024 to fund resources to better prepare for, prevent, respond and mitigate wildfires. “In 2023, we piloted a number of firefighting technologies aimed at improving our responsiveness and effectiveness, and I’m pleased to give many of these resources a permanent spot on our frontlines this wildfire season,” said Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen at a Friday press conference. “Through Budget 2024, we are increasing our night vision helicopter capacity to three contracts, which includes two medium helicopters and one heavy helicopter.” Loewen said night vision imaging systems allow firefighters to better gauge the size and scope of wildfires to improve tactics and to respond faster to wildfires. He added night vision goggles ampligy light 60,000 times, enabling firefighters to identify wildfires faster. Alberta Wildfire has 18 long-term helicopter contracts available throughout the wildfire season. Budget 2024 will increase contracted air tanker groups from eight to 10 and enable them to renew 130 chartered helicopter contracts. The forestry and parks minister went on to say Budget 2024 enables Alberta Wildfire to use drones to manage wildfires. When drones are used, he said they can determine where to send firefighters to curb the flames. Drones are used to fly over areas too dangerous for piloted aircrafts. One other technology Budget 2024 spends money on is artificial intelligence. Since 2022, AI has allowed wildfire managers to make strategic decisions. It has determined the probability of wildfires starting in particular areas. He thanked Alberta Wildfire members for the work they do every day to protect people and communities. Last month, he announced Alberta Forestry and Parks wanted to hire 100 firefighters to create five more 20-person crews. These crews were included in Budget 2024. He acknowledged Alberta Wildfire “continually evaluates the technologies and tools we employ to improve our processes and become more efficient, which often includes adopting new technology and innovative practices.” With this funding, Loewen said Alberta will be ready for wildfire season. He said the Alberta government is “prepared for the worst while hoping for the best in the wildfire season ahead.” Loewen followed up by saying firefighter recruitment started before the last wildfire season ended. “We tried to recruit as many of our experienced firefighters to bring them back this coming year from last year,” he said. “And then we started recruiting replacements for those ones and also for the additional firecrews we plan on hiring with this budget.” These hiring campaigns continued in the fall and winter. Interviews are happening right now with prospective firefighters. The Alberta government said on Thursday Budget 2024 protects the environment and safeguards communities and the economy from natural disasters such as wildfires, floods and droughts. READ MORE: ALBERTA BUDGET 2024: Preparing for natural disasters“We have a responsible plan that will help protect Albertans and their communities from situations like natural disasters,” said Alberta Treasury Board President and Finance Minister Nate Horner. “Ensuring Alberta can continue on its path of growth and prosperity was at top of mind developing Budget 2024.”
