Parliamentary Committee Notes: Wildfires in Jasper, Alberta

Issue

Numerous fire starts in July were impacting Jasper National Park and threatening the Town of Jasper. By Monday, July 22, 2024, 25,000 people were ordered to evacuate the area. As the situation progressed beyond the capabilities of the local and provincial governments, Alberta submitted requests for federal assistance (RFA). The federal government provided resources from the Canadian Armed Forces, evacuation support, and emergency wildfire resources to the province immediately. Over the next 50 days the federal government would respond to three additional RFAs. In addition to the RFAs, the federal government provided additional supports to Alberta and the Town of Jasper as did the Humanitarian Workforce and other NGOs.

Proposed Response

• The Government of Canada is committed to working with provinces, territories and whole-of-society partners to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfire events.
• We maintain continuous communication with our federal, provincial and territorial partners, including Indigenous Communities, and impacts on communities are monitored on a 24/7 basis.
• Public Safety Canada's Government Operations Centre, on behalf of the Government of Canada, is the lead for federal response coordination for emergency events affecting the national interest and works in close collaboration with federal organizations, non-governmental organizations and provincial emergency management partners.
• On July 24, 2024, the Government of Canada received a request for federal assistance from the Province of Alberta on in response to the tragic events in Jasper. It was approved within hours.
• The Government of Canada received and approved three requests and an extension for federal assistance from Alberta over the course of the 2024 wildfire season. Federal support has included wildland fire fighting resources, humanitarian and logistical supports, and assistance from the Canadian Armed forces.

Responsive lines (if prompted)

• Emergencies are managed first at the local level. If municipal and local governments need assistance at the local level, they request it from the province or territory. If the emergency overwhelms provincial/territorial capacity, the province or territory may seek assistance from the federal government.
• Should a province or territory make an official request for federal assistance, there is a well-established process in place for managing these requests through the Government Operations Centre and includes interdepartmental consultation and coordination.
• We are grateful for the tireless work of emergency responders on the front lines and behind the scenes. They are making a difference, and I—and all Canadians—are immensely grateful.

Background

Public Safety Canada's Government Operations Centre (GOC) is mandated, on behalf of the Government of Canada, to lead and support response coordination of events affecting the national interest. It is an interdepartmental response-focused asset of the Government of Canada working in support of deputy heads, departments and agencies at the national (strategic) whole-of-government level. It brings all partners into a common environment to harmonize collective actions and abilities into efficient analysis and action.

Each year, in consultation with partners, the GOC completes a comprehensive risk assessment and planning process in advance of flooding and the wildland urban interface seasons. The intent is to increase federal preparedness to support provinces and territories for potential spring flooding and urban interface wildfires. The final outcomes include a national risk assessment and the Government of Canada Contingency Plan for each of these cyclical events. The objective of these contingency plans is to outline a coordinated structure for an integrated federal response to flooding or wildfire events, in support of the provinces and territories (PT), for regions of concern. The contingency plan also provides strategic guidance and orientation for planning and response personnel at the national level.

During the flooding and wildfire seasons, the federal government maintains continuous communication with federal and provincial partners, including Indigenous Communities, while monitoring impacts on communities on a 24/7 basis.

In the past few years, the Minister of Public Safety, on behalf of the federal government, has accepted Requests for Assistance (RFAs) for relief efforts from devastating events, including the recent impacts from Hurricane Fiona, Atmospheric Rivers, and 2023 wildfires.

Event Timeline

• 22 Jul: Numerous fire starts in the park are identified as being potentially threatening to the community.
• 23-24 Jul: More than 25,000 people evacuated safely from Jasper National Park and town of Jasper after the situation rapidly deteriorated.
• 23 Jul: Parks Canada mobilized an incident management team and additional firefighting resources and aircraft. Parks Canada and Alberta Wildfire are partners in wildfire response and Alberta Wildfire is supporting Jasper National Park. Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) arrived in Jasper.
• 23 Jul: Humanitarian Workforce/NGO supports arrive in staging areas in Edmonton to assist with evacuee accommodations and meals.
• 24 Jul: The Government of Canada received a request for federal assistance from the Province of Alberta in response to the out of control fires. It was approved within hours.
• 24 Jul: Specialists from municipal fire departments, wildland firefighters, incident management personnel, fire behaviour analysts, structural protection specialists, geographic information system specialists and other support personnel arrive. Firefighting efforts supported by aircraft including 9 helicopters, heavy equipment, fire engines, and structural protection units. Approximately 260 personnel working on this fire as of 24 Jul.
• 25 Jul: Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper assume a Unified Command and continued to manage this crisis from the Town of Hinton. Calgary HUSAR team, CAN-TF 2, later joined command assisting the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada to coordinate the response to the wildfire.
• 26-28 Jul: Priority was to control hot spots in the outskirts of Jasper and in the trees directly surrounding the town of Jasper and to conduct damage assessments.
• 15 Aug: The northwest fire perimeter is 100% contained or controlled.
• 16 Aug: Re-entry supports begin for residents and business operators.
• 17 Aug: The fire is classified as being held and the Evacuation Alert is lifted from the townsite.

Requests for Federal Assistance

When a PT makes an official RFA, there is a well-established process in place managed by the GOC that includes interdepartmental coordination at the federal level. The GOC liaises with key organizations such as the CAF and non-governmental organizations like the Canadian Red Cross through the Humanitarian Work force program.

When the emergency involves a First Nation (FN) community, FN leadership, depending on relevant emergency management agreements, will work in collaboration with their PTs and/or Indigenous Services Canada or regional officials, to assess the emergency and propose a response. If a resolution is not possible at the regional level, a request for assistance may be sought.

Public Safety Canada received three Requests for Federal Assistance linked to event response associated with Jasper:

• The Government Operations Centre and implicated federal departments held daily situational briefings with the province of Alberta.

RFA 1.0 (00302-24-RFA159)

• Received and Approved on July 24, 2024. The initial period of support was for two weeks with the possibility of a one week extension pending review from PS and The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Support was provided from July 25 to August 15, 2024.
• The CAF deployed elements:
  • 113 CAF members acted as Type III firefighters with associated integral support;
  • Employed suitable air asset(s), 1 CC-130 Hercules aircraft, as strategic airlift on reduced notice to move residents impacted by wildfires; and
  • Employed suitable air asset(s), 4 CH-146 Griffon, to move firefighters and equipment.

RFA 2.0 (00302-24-RFA161)

• Received and approved August 8, 2024. The initial period of support was for 14 days. Supports were provided from August 8 to 22, 2024.
• The CAF continued to provide 113 wildland firefighters until 15 Aug.
  • Team Rubicon was approved to provide support for post-wildfire mitigation; site surveys; damage assessments; property examinations; debris removal until August 22.

RFA 3.0 (00302-24-RFA163)

• Received and approved August 21, 2024. Initial support period was for two weeks with one week extension. Support was provided from August 22 until September 5, 2024.
• Team Rubicon supported recovery efforts in Jasper National Park and surrounding the Municipality of Jasper, Alberta. They provided site surveys, rapid damage assessments, and needs assessments of the fire-impacted sites, or other related transition supports, such as sifting operations.

RFA 3.0 EXT-01 (00302-24-RFA163 EXT-01)

• This is an extension to the original period outlined in RFA 3.0. It was received and approved on 30 August 2024. Support is for one week, September 5 to 12, 2024.
• Team Rubicon continued to support recovery operations in Jasper National Park and surrounding the municipality of Jasper, AB. They continued to provide site surveys, rapid damage assessments of the fire-impacted sites, or other related transition supports such as sifting operations.
• HWF supports were extended to 12 Sep 2024.

Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre

• From July 15 to August 22, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) was at a National Preparedness Level of 5: Demand and mobilization of interagency resources through CIFFC was moderate to high and the potential for emerging significant wildland fires was normal for that time of year.
• More than 790 total firefighters from international partners were deployed to Canada to assist with the 2024 wildfire season, including from Costa Rica, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

Additional federal supports

• Parks Canada (PC) collaborated with CIFFC to provide further PC wildland firefighting resources. Over the duration of the event Parks had deployed several crews including type 2 and 3 firefighters (FF), Incident management teams (IMT), and other specialists.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada assistance to Alberta for the procurement of commercial options to assist in the overall response, including the provision of wildfire mitigation resources and logistical support.
• Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) provided support impacted Albertans with enhanced Service Canada hours for services.
• Air assets and IMT and logistical specialists were made available from additional departments.
• Various departments were prepared to assist with aerial infrared scanning and the collection of wildfire status information.

Humanitarian Workforce (HWF), Non-governmental organizations (NGO), Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR)

• Team Rubicon provided post-wildfire mitigation, site survey, damage assessment, property examinations and debris removal, and sifting operations under the Public Safety Canada Humanitarian Workforce Program.
• The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) provided financial assistance to impacted residents/households, aided in the redistribution of funding to support NGO's response and recovery, aided in the delivery of emergency social services and the delivery of psychosocial support.
• The Salvation Army provided food and hydration to wildfire relief and recovery efforts in Jasper, Alberta. They also assisted the Canadian Red Cross and other NGOs with Humanitarian Service Centre feeding.
• The federal government and the Government of Alberta established a funds-matching initiative to match individual and corporate donations under the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) 2024 Alberta Wildfires Appeal. Eligible projects under the program include:
  • the provision of financial assistance to impacted residents/households;
  • the redistribution of funding to support NGOs response and recovery; the delivery of emergency social services; and
  • the delivery of psychosocial support.
• As September 23, 2024, Canadians have donated over $10 million to the CRC's response.
• On 22 Jul: St. John's Ambulance (SJA) deployed 6 personnel to Alberta to provide meals and support evacuees. Approximately 500 people were provided meals from SJA.
• 23 Jul – 30 Jul: CRC managed financial assistance for every nation member evacuated.
• 23 Jul – 24 Aug: CRC provided support alongside Edmonton's reception centre for accommodations and food to evacuees.
• 15 Aug – early Sep: Team Rubicon began work in Jasper completing intake surveys and site surveys for sifting operations.
• HUSAR support:
  • 24 Jul – 31 Jul, 21 Members, Town of Jasper IMT Support.
  • 30 Jul – 07 Aug, 10 Members, Town of Jasper IMT Support.
  • 04 Aug – 14 Aug, 4 Members, Parks Canada IMT Support.

Date modified:

2025-01-23