Canadian communities develop local wildfire response tactics

As Canada faces increasingly intense wildfire seasons driven by climate change, residents in remote and Indigenous communities are increasingly taking local action to protect their homes and property.

In British Columbia, Sonja Leverkus has trained over 400 people through the Northeast BC Rural Incident Management Team. The group, primarily composed of Indigenous members, conducts prescribed burns and utilizes fire wagons to tackle small blazes before they escalate. Leverkus noted that current firefighting resources are insufficient for the frequency of fires, stating, “There are not enough human beings in Canada... to fight the fires that we have currently.”

In Ontario, Hubert Wigwas of the Gull Bay First Nation has advocated for local emergency response training after deciding to stay and protect his community despite evacuation orders. These efforts highlight a growing need for rural and First Nations communities to develop autonomous wildfire mitigation and suppression capabilities to supplement provincial resources.