EDMONTON – Today (Wed., Apr. 24), the Alberta government admitted the province will not be fully staffed to fight wildland fires for at least another three weeks, something the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) says is proof the government ignored warnings from its front-line firefighters.
“Albertans have already been forced to flee their homes in the Peace River district and at the Cold Lake First Nation,” says AUPE Vice-President James Gault. “All 260 inmates at the Peace River correctional centre have been evacuated to an entirely different facility.”
The government’s weekly wildfire update today revealed that there have been 205 wildfires this year, burning 755 hectares. The average for this time of year is 120 fires with 230 hectares burned.
“It was extremely worrying to hear Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen admit that Alberta won’t be fully staffed until May 15,” says Gault.
AUPE members have warned the government for months that they were taking too long to hire and train firefighters.
“There’s a retention-and-recruitment crisis in hiring seasonal wildland firefighters,” says Gault. “More than 50% of people hired last year did not return this year, meaning our crews don’t have the experience they need.
“In Alberta, we have firefighters with two years of experience leading crews with even less experience. They think Albertans should be scared.”
Gault says that other firefighting jurisdictions don’t have the same problems hiring and retaining staff.
He adds: “We could and should have been fully staffed weeks ago, but this government chose not to act, despite the undeniable evidence that this fire season could be worse than last year. The government has gambled with our homes, our communities and our lives.”
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AUPE VP James Gault is available for interviews.
For information, please contact Terry Inigo-Jones, communications officer at 403-831-4394 or t.inigo-jones@aupe.org.