Nova Scotia’s Wildfire Fighters and Equipment to Help in Ontario and Quebec

Nova Scotia is sending aid to Ontario and Quebec to help control forest fires.

A 20-person crew from the Department of Lands and Forestry is leaving Halifax for Sudbury on Thursday, July 12. The crew will form five four-person initial attack crews to fight fires burning in Ontario. A safety officer will also travel to Ontario to work with a team from Alberta to help co-ordinate resources.

Nova Scotia is also sending four staff with expertise in co-ordinating resources, as well as 50,000 feet of hose, to Quebec to aid in firefighting efforts in that province. The equipment left today, July 11 and staff will leave on Thursday, July 12.

The assistance from Nova Scotia was requested through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre to help control and extinguish the wildfires. Nova Scotia’s current fire conditions allow for these resources to be shared and the Department of Lands and Forestry will ensure that proper firefighting resources are maintained within the province.

Nova Scotia is a member of the Canadian Mutual Aid Resource Sharing Agreement, established in the early 1980s, which ensures all provinces and territories will receive help if forest fires become too big to handle. The affected province covers the costs of the jurisdictions sending help.