EDMONTON—As the world watches Australia burn, British Columbia is moving to “poach” some specialized firefighters from neighbouring Alberta — an exchange, of sorts, between two provinces that have grappled with devastating forest fires in recent years.

In November, Alberta’s United Conservative government cut about 63 specialized firefighters who rappel from helicopters into remote locations to prevent fires from spreading and getting out of control. Shortly after, British Columbia saw an opportunity to strengthen their own ranks.

The Star has learned that all members who were part of Alberta’s Wildland Firefighter Rappel Program (RAP) received a letter about how to apply directly to B.C.’s equivalent program: BCWS Rapattack. The letter, sent on December 17, says that beginning in 2020, the province will have a streamlined application process for “candidates with previous wildfire rappel experience.”

The letter didn’t state how many spots were open.

Memories of wildfire catastrophes are still fresh for Albertans after an out of control wildfire swept through the town of Fort McMurray in 2016, causing billions in damage and making international headlines.

Since Alberta’s program was cut in November, deadly forest fires have raged in Australia, causing catastrophic damage, evacuations and the deaths of hundreds of millions of animals.

All of this has left one former Alberta RAP member, Jordan Erlendson, feeling angry.

“It’s such a win for B.C.,” he said. “They just poached all of these trained personnel that Alberta put hundreds of thousands of dollars into.”

The program in Alberta has some very experienced members, he added, and he expects several of them to take up the B.C. opportunity, while others have decided to work in different B.C. fire fighting outfits or head to the U.S.

Adrienne South, press secretary for Alberta’s ministry of agriculture and forestry, said in an emailed statement that all members of RAP had been “given the option to work for us again next summer as part of our Helitack and Unit crews.”

Australia wildfires have so far consumed more than 20,000 square kilometres in the province of New South Wales alone, and firefighters in Alberta hope the province takes note.

“The kind of disaster we’re seeing in Australia — that is extremely viable in Alberta,” Erlendson said.

In 2016, Fort McMurray, located in Alberta’s northeast, saw one of the most infamous wildfires in recent Canadian memory cause $9 billion in direct and indirect damage. About 80,000 people evacuated the city during the emergency, with many losing their homes.

That fire swept across some 1.5 million acres over several months. The Australian fires have already scorched around 12.35 million acres of land. As well, the country’s wildfire season got an early start this year, so the end is nowhere in sight.

Findings from scientists around the globe and the Canadian government are clear: a warming climate means wildfires are growing larger and more ferocious. Experts have warned that climate change is ramping up the risks of wildfires in Canada.

In Alberta’s 2019 budget, rolled out last October, the province reduced its agriculture and forestry expenses by 9.1 per cent, or $88 million compared to the previous year. The United Conservatives were elected last April with a mandate to reduce overall spending and balance the province’s books.

The government also moved to cut staffing in around 30 wildfire lookout towers and one air tanker unit.

“If anything, one would assume that the budget would be going up in the face of these huge disasters,” Erlendson said.

But South, the ministry of agriculture and forestry spokesperson, said the government would be bringing in 100 lookout observers for the upcoming fire season.

“We are modernizing our approach and will use technology, such as cameras and aerial patrols to detect fires,” she said. “Alberta Wildfire is a leader in wildfire management in Canada and around the world, and we’re proud of our ability to adapt and improve.”

When the program was cut in November, Minister Devin Dreeshen said ending RAP meant the government could focus more on other groups of firefighters. He said that the rappel crews only dropped into locations via helicopter two per cent of the time.

South pointed out that the Alberta government also increased its emergency contingency fund to $750 million. But Erlendson wonders why the province would want to throw money at a problem that his unit could have worked to prevent.

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With climate change causing hotter and dryer conditions heading into the summer, he expects there to be more.

“It’s almost a statistical guarantee that there will be another huge event.”

With files from The Canadian Press and the Associated Press

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