Whereas the province of British Columbia is prone to wildfires, which pose significant threats to public safety, communities, property, and the environment, and where climate change has contributed to an increase in the frequency, intensity, and severity of wildfires, thereby placing an unprecedented strain on available firefighting equipment; And whereas the Provincial Government has the responsibility to ensure that the BC Wildfire Service has adequate resources, including equipment, to effectively respond to and manage wildfires to safeguard lives, protect infrastructure, and preserve the natural environment, and where the effectiveness and efficiency of the BC Wildfire Services operations in the containment of wildfires heavily depend on the availability of adequate equipment and resources: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask that the Provincial Government take immediate action to ensure that BC Wildfire is provided with all available firefighting equipment, including Coulson Aviations Next Gen fire suppression equipment, and any other available Canadian company with aviation firefighting equipment, to combat wildfires during increased demand during peak wildfire seasons; And be it further resolved that the provincial government explore partnerships with federal agencies, neighboring provinces, and available contractors to enhance equipment sharing and mutual aid agreements, ensuring a more robust response to wildfires and promoting regional collaboration in firefighting efforts.
Ministry of Forests The provincial government is fortunate it has many resource sharing partners aiding with the emergency wildfire response efforts. These partnerships come in a variety of forms ranging from physical tools such as helicopters, air tanker aircraft, heavy equipment, camp and technological infrastructure and a wide spectrum of personnel providing technical and professional services. For wildfire response activity in the province, the BC Wildfire Services relies on strong support from numerous vendors, agencies and partners who provide expertise, equipment, and personnel. Several of the partners include the forest industry, aviation providers, first nations, local governments, First Nation Emergency Services Society, BC Cattlemens Association and the Fire Chiefs Association of BC. Through these partnerships the Provincial Government can meet most wildfire activity it experiences. When resource demands are exceeded, the Province relies on our external partnerships to meet wildfire response needs. BC Wildfire Service, on behalf of the Province of BC, participate in long standing resource sharing partnerships through mutual aid agreements with wildfire organizations. This is facilitated through direct agency to agency partnerships as well as multi-jurisdiction agreements. For national and international partnerships, the Province relies on the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center CIFFC to facilitate resource movement. Agreements such as the Mutual Aid Resource Sharing agreement between all the Canadian provinces and territories allow for national resources to be moved throughout Canada to support fire suppression efforts. CIFFC also supports access to international resources such as the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil to support wildfire emergencies. Additionally, British Columbia has a regional resource sharing agreement, called the Northwest Compact, with the western US states including Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana that facilitates additional support when needed. These agreements provide the Province an opportunity to allow additional ground personnel, technical experts and equipment to be accessed to meet operational needs. The Province of BC is committed to ensuring our resource partnerships are strong and reliable to meet the needs of future wildfire seasons.