A new wildfire training program is being developed at Thompson Rivers University in the heart of British Columbia’s southern Interior, an area that has seen significant destruction in recent years as fires become more intense and frequent.
On Thursday, Premier David Eby announced the program at TRU, explaining that last year’s wildfire season prompted a review of how the province was handling blazes, from how the B.C. Wildfire Service is managing fires to how evacuees are being supported.
“Last summer we had one of the worst forest fire seasons that B.C. has ever seen,” Eby said, adding that this year is also expected to be challenging as persistent drought and low snowpack plague several parts of the province.
“The trend is clear and profoundly concerning right now.”
David Eby announced the establishment of what he said would be a first-of-its-kind training centre at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, as the province aims to tackle the growing threat of wildfires.
The program is part of 31 recommendations that came from a task force created by the premier to look into how the province can better support people during emergencies.
Eby said the TRU program will be the “first of its kind” in North America, in which students can earn credit toward an academic degree as they train to fight and manage wildfires.
Program development will begin this year, Eby said, and course delivery is expected to begin in 2025.
Courses will include subjects such as wildfire science, community impacts of wildfire, Indigenous history and cultural fire, climate and community adaptation, mitigation and prevention research, and emergency management.
A new facility will be built specifically for the program, but the province did not specify when the structure would be complete. Eby said the location still needs to be determined by the university, and did not know how much the new building will cost as planning is still in early stages.
Bachelor, diploma and certificate programs are expected to take in 20 new undergraduate students annually.
In OCtober, TRU established the Institute for Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency, which aims to develop tools for policy decisions around the impact of wildfires, including smoke, evacuations and the loss of structures.
“We are well prepared for this task,” university president Brett Fairburn said.
Following last year’s record-setting wildfire season, CBC’s Joel Ballard hears from fire ecologist Robert Gray about what this summer could have in store for the province.
“Over the last several years, we’ve seen a pattern of longer and more intense wildfire seasons, extreme heat and severe drought. Climate change is here, and there is no evidence that it is slowing down,” Emergency Preparedness Minister Bowinn Ma, said in a news release.
“The steps we’re taking today will provide our future generations the tools, training and expertise they need to continue to protect people and communities in an ever-changing climate.”
Task-force recommendations
Other recommendations from the premier’s task force included real-time intelligence-sharing between agencies, the use of Indigenous knowledge, promoting FireSmart practices in communities and mental health support for frontline workers and communities.
Another recommendation includes integrating community members into wildfire response, Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said.
“Over the last few years there have been communities who have expressed very strong desires to get involved in fighting fires,” he said.
“It’s important that those people get the training to enable them to be more effective and to integrate into the overall firefighting effort.”
Eby said the province was able to act on several recommendations immediately, such as making new technology for predicting wildfire behaviour more available, recruiting more firefighters, leasing more equipment and better training for support workers.
All additional measures for wildfire management have been included in this year’s budget, Eby said.