Whereas the British Columbia 2018 wildfire season has been unprecedented and has grown more severe; And whereas the Province of British Columbia has requested resources from the Government of Canada lo aid in wildfire suppression efforts; And whereas provincial training requirements need to be met to engage in fire suppression: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia to have Canadas military personnel trained in wildfire suppression to aid in wildfire events across Canada; And be it further resolved that this wildfire suppression training becomes a part of all present and future basic training for all Canadian military personnel.
Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development When B.C. is experiencing unusually high wildfire activity such as during the provincial states of emergency in 2017 and 2018, the Province may request assistance from the federal government to support its firefighting efforts. This could include Canadian Armed Forces personnel, vehicles and aircraft to complete a wide variety of support tasks, such as repositioning of wildfire crews and equipment, evacuations or emergency transport of injured personnel, and basic firefighting duties. The BC Wildfire Services goal is to use highly trained and experienced Type 1 and Type 2 firefighters from B.C. and elsewhere in Canada if necessary before asking military personnel to engage in on-the-ground wildfire response. Each year, some Canadian Armed Forces personnel some of whom may be reservists receive basic wildfire suppression training through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre CIFFC. This includes a two-day course on basic wildfire response operations S-100: Basic Fire Suppression and Safety, however personnel are not trained up to the CIFFCs Type 1 or Type 2 firefighter standard. During the 2018 provincial state of emergency, about 200 Canadian Armed Forces personnel assisted with the mop-up and patrol of wildfires that had already been contained, under the supervision of the BC Wildfire Service. The BC Wildfire Service provided the necessary personal protective equipment and firefighting equipment. The Canadian Armed Forces determines the type and extent of training that its personnel receive.
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness The Government of Canada recognizes that disasters are increasing in frequency and magnitude due to factors such as climate change, increased urbanization, and critical infrastructure dependencies. When disasters strike, the impacts can quickly transcend jurisdictions. In recognition of these factors, federal, provincial, and territorial governments are working together to develop an Emergency Management Strategy for Canada which would help Canadians and governments better predict, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. I have also included my colleague, the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, to this correspondence to address the issue of military training, as it falls under his purview.