Wildfire response training should be made available to more civilians, experts say

As wildfire season begins in Ontario, some experts say more civilians in northern and remote regions should be given training and opportunities to become wildfires response volunteers, despite liability concerns.

The province saw over 475 fires last year that scorched 90,000 hectares, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Compared to the 10-year average, it was lower by about 219 blazes. But with the threat of rising temperatures from climate change, there are concerns wildfires will grow in frequency and intensity. 

Fighting wildfires is usually done by firefighters hired or contracted by Ontario or other provincial governments — and in worse cases the Canadian Armed Forces help out.

But giving residents the capacity to respond as well is something that could reduce the impact of wildfires, says Jason Thistlethwaite, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo's school of environment.

Mobilizing more people would benefit communities, he says, because despite the province's firefighting capabilities and Canada's strong interprovincial coordination efforts, it can be difficult to deploy all the necessary personnel and equipment quickly when there are multiple large-scale emergencies.

"Canada is a big country. You're not going to have people everywhere you need it," Thistlethwaite said

For example, teaching volunteers how to create a fire break — a space between a nearby fire and a property by removing vegetation — and how to use equipment available locally can help mitigate destruction, Thistlethwaite says. 

The problem is that responders and municipalities have issued advice against it because of the liability concerns, he said. 

In some First Nation communities, some youth are already joining workshops that teach fire management, climate change adaptation, and community safety.

It's an initiative that has ramped up through recent federal investments. One program aimed at educating youth by the Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) tribal council will educate 15 to 19 year olds from six First Nations. The workshop aims to understand the "what, how, and why" of fire management, focusing on community desires to re-engage in wildfire management, says Michael Morrison, a wildfire and climate change youth engagement specialist and interim emergency management coordinator with the KO Tribal Council.

"It's fair to say that in the next 10, 20, 30 years, the wildfire environment in Ontario is going to be far different than what we've seen in the previous 30 years, so these youth and people like them are going to be faced with addressing some of this," Morrison said.

"It's really now or never."

The workshop could be an "excellent" model for future programs, says David Pearson, professor emeritus of natural sciences at Laurentian University.