Feds fund wildfire emergency co-ordinators for 48 Alberta First Nations

The federal government is providing all Alberta First Nations with an emergency co-ordinator to help plan for and respond to wildfires.

As part of the federal government’s 2024 wildfire outlook, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said all Alberta First Nations will have an emergency co-ordinator position to help plan for and respond to wildfires.

“This year, all 48 First Nations in Alberta will have a funded emergency manager co-ordinator position,” she said. “This dedicated person will help them co-ordinate their work to prepare for and to face wildfires.

“With these additions, there are now 248 such co-ordinators across the country, funded and paid for, giving communities a central organization that can make a huge difference in both planning and preparing but also in responding to fire emergencies.”

She said nearly 80 per cent of First Nation communities are at risk due to wildfire.

Conroy Sewepagahan, chief of Little Red River Cree First Nation in northern Alberta, says any help is welcome.

“It’s timely,” he said. “My question is: how will this look like in terms of implementing those funds with First Nations, especially our First Nation, and if it’s going to be continuous or if it’s a one-time thing?”

Little Red River covers Fox Lake, which is about 180 kilometres east of High Level. The community was evacuated multiple times last summer because of wildfire.

“I’ve lost count, to be honest with you, in terms of how many times we had to evacuate,” Sewepagahan said. “In terms of co-ordination, thankfully our staff and our nation membership stepped up. I think we learned quite a bit from the flooding that took place in one of our other communities back in 2018-19.”