Lac La Biche County will be a home for firefighting air tankers again this year, but they might not be staying at the local base-or even in Alberta-to the end of the fire season. The provincial government has reduced tanker contracts for 2016 by $5.
Lac La Biche County will be a home for firefighting air tankers again this year, but they might not be staying at the local base-or even in Alberta-to the end of the fire season.
The provincial government has reduced tanker contracts for 2016 by $5.1 million, shortening the agreement lengths for aerial firefighting services from four months to three.
Despite the initial cost-saving measures, officials with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, the ministry that handles wildfire management, say the contracts can be extended if necessary.
“We will manage the contracts appropriately as the season dictates,” said ministry spokesperson Renato Gandia. “We can’ t predict what the season will turn out to be, but we will ensure that we have the resources required to handle the situation.”
Local Forestry staffers are predicting this year’ s fire season will be busy because of consistently dry conditions. There have already been more than 30 wildfires in the Lac La Biche region since the season officially began on March 1, including a blaze last Monday night that temporarily closed Highway 63 near Atmore.
Air tankers, which are commonly known as water-bombers, are a frequent summertime sight in the skies around Lac La Biche. The tanker base beside the community’ s airport will still be in use this year, Gandia said, even if it’ s not on a full-time basis.
“Air tankers do move around the province, depending on the need and hazards,” he said. “There are times they remain in Lac La Biche or they go to other locations in the province for as long as we need them there.”
The province has 13 tanker bases but is only hiring eight aircraft groups. Each group typically includes a spotter airplane or birddog, along with multiple amphibious planes that are equipped to carry loads of water or fire retardant.
In the past, the Lac La Biche-based squadron has flown to the Northwest Territories and other regions to lend a hand when needed. Last year’ s fire season, however, was one of the busiest in years and resources were called in from other countries to help.
“The safety of Albertans is paramount...and we will put resources where they are needed,” Gandia said.
Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean, who heads the Opposition in the Legislature, said the government’ s decision to cut wildfire management expenses is troubling, considering how much the government is planning to spend in other areas.
“It seems that fighting wildfires is the only line item in the budget that took a hit,” he said.
At press time, the wildfire hazard for the Lac La Biche area was still ranked as very high. A fire advisory is in place, meaning permits for burning are suspended until conditions improve.
