Report on 2023 wildfire response generally positive
Province has accepted all of the report’s recommendations
The Nova Scotia government has released a report into the firefighting response to the wildfires in Shelburne and Halifax counties last year.
The Barrington Lake fire in Shelburne County was the largest wildfire in recorded history in the province, burning 23,379 hectares, while the Tantallon wildfire burned
969 hectares. More than 200 homes were destroyed in the two fires.
The report, prepared by consultants Calian Group Ltd., was generally positive, and the province said it will work to address recommendations contained in the document.
The 2023 Nova Scotia Wildfire After-Action Report found the response of the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables was successfully co-ordinated and conducted, and having experienced people in the incident command posts was very beneficial.
It also said that equipment distribution practices carried out by the department for the 27 regional offices ensure regional capacity is regularly maintained across the province, and the department was able to get wildfire-specific equipment through the provincial wildfire co-ordination centre “by using effective and robust mechanisms already in place.”
The department said it accepts all 63 recommendations, including:
• Offering wildfire training and exercises more broadly across the province.
• Training more department staff in incident command management and other emergency-related functions.
• Hosting a multi-agency tabletop exercise to better understand the various agencies’ needs and requirements for initial callout and deployment.
• Reviewing and strengthening the department’s response plans with clearer protocols, processes, roles and responsibilities.
• Strengthening protocols related to the use of air support for wildfire response.
• And, improving mental and physical health supports for frontline workers.
The department is also looking at reasonable options for fixed-wing water bomber support.
Jim Rudderham, the manager of fleet and forest protection for the department, said that it is “exploring all of our options to see what we’re going to do."
"There are mechanisms in place to getting them from other agencies that are very seamless; they’re very simple to get if they’re available," he said.
But buying fixed-wing aircraft really isn’t in the cards for the province, Rudderham said.
“That’s a whole other air service to be opened,” he said.
“That’s different pilots, different engineers, different hangars, different parts. If we did do anything it would be looking at whatever option would be to have one on standby.”
The province still has water bombing helicopters that can do the job and in the past 10 years has only needed to call in planes from other areas four times.
The department already started offering training to volunteer firefighters who can be called in to work for the department on long-term fires. There are 60 firefighters on that list around the province this year as part of a program that was started last year during the wildfires. Rudderham said that system has worked well.
He said the positive comments of the report around the abilities in the incident command post were a result of staff training and experience working on incidents under mentors locally and when travelling to help in other provinces.