National strategy to fight wildfires needed, fire chiefs say

Globe and Mail

2 days ago

Raging wildfires that have forced mass evacuations and triggered states of emergency in two Canadian provinces have led to renewed calls for a federal agency responsible for fire management and emergency co-ordination.
The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs has advocated for a national fire administration for close to a decade, its calls increasing in urgency after the country experienced its most destructive wildfire season on record in 2023.
'The significant increase of wildfires in Canada has continued to remind us of the importance of not stopping, and not giving up this effort,' CAFC president Ken McMullen said in an interview on Tuesday. 'In fact, these fires remind us that the importance of this increases every day.'
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The association, which represents about 3,200 fire departments across Canada, has had productive conversations with former ministers of emergency preparedness Bill Blair and Harjit Sajjan, who, along with former prime minister Justin Trudeau, had acknowledged a need for some sort of a national disaster response agency.
However, with the 2025 wildfire season well under way, Canada remains one of the few G7 countries without such an agency. This week, Mr. McMullen's association wrote to federal party leaders, their top aides and key ministries, reiterating its call to co-ordinate fire-related matters through a national fire administration. It has not yet received a reply.
The Ministry of Emergency Management and Community Resilience did not respond to a request from The Globe and Mail for comment on Tuesday.
In the U.S., the Federal Emergency Management Agency co-ordinates the federal response to all types of large-scale disasters, working with states, Tribal Nations and territories. The U.S. Fire Administration operates within FEMA and focuses on fire prevention, education, research and training.
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Currently, provinces and territories are primarily responsible for their own wildfire management, with support from the federal government. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre co-ordinates firefighting resources for wildland fire management agencies in Canada and internationally, handling requests for additional personnel, equipment, aircraft, information and expertise.
Ali Asgary, a professor of disaster and emergency management at York University in Toronto, said current arrangements are neither sufficient nor efficient in managing or responding to multiple and multiprovincial emergencies across Canada.
'The existing level of support often comes too late, and not up to the tasks at hand, since the personnel are not trained for such tasks, and the required resources are not organized and distributed well for an immediate and rapid response,' he said.
A Canadian FEMA-like organization would enable local governments 'to do more and better with their limited resources, and benefit from an economy of scale that saves a lot when such resources are available to all provinces.'
Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., said Canada would benefit from a federal firefighting force that can deploy quickly and proactively – based on fire weather forecasts – under a unified command, without the jurisdictional issues of the current approach.
'Right now when you make the call, there will be three days before you see that firefighter, that pump, that hose, that helicopter on the fire line,' he said. 'Many times, that's three days too late.'
Prof. Flannigan noted that while some wildland firefighting agencies – such as those in B.C. and Alberta – are moving toward pro-active resource deployment, the changing climate requires Canada take a more comprehensive approach.
Mr. McMullen, the CAFC president, noted that the role of a national fire administration would reach far beyond wildfire response and prevention.
As cities grappling with housing shortages mull building code changes to allow for single-stairwell apartments, for example, the office could provide a high-level subject matter expert on fire safety issues.
A national fire administration could also advise on federal policy such as that involving electric vehicles and lithium ion batteries, climate adaptation and the transportation of dangerous goods, he said.