Edmonton creating wildfire strategy as part of emergency management plan

The City of Edmonton is developing a wildfire strategy to mitigate risks within the municipality and help neighbouring regions, the city's emergency advisory committee heard Wednesday.

The plan is in the works after a demanding season in 2024, during which city crews, with help from regional and provincial agencies, responded to 28 major events over a six-month period. 

"That, I think, is quite staggering," Coun. Keren Tang said during the meeting.

The latest annual report for the city's emergency management program includes staffing reception centres in Edmonton for wildfire evacuees from Fort McMurray, Alta., in May and Jasper, Alta., in July.

The report says 1,845 evacuees registered in Edmonton from Fort McMurray; 2,826 registered from Jasper. 

Other major events included crews responding to homeless encampments, staffing Canada Day and New Year's Eve celebrations and NHL playoff games. 

David Lazenby, Edmonton's new fire chief, said 2024 was unique for how long crews were responding to events, including core staff at the reception centres.

"Some of the staff that were in there, I'm very proud of them," Lazenby said. "They worked long hours for many, many days and it took its toll." 

Strategy components

The city's wildfire strategy will be a coordinated approach to managing wildfire risk long-term, said Kent Snyder, branch manager of planning and environment services, during Wednesday's committee meeting.

It will align with the city's existing best practices through the FireSmart program, "and address increasing wildfire risks due to climate change," Snyder said.

The strategy, which the city aims to finish creating by early 2026, will include managing vegetation, using prescribed burns, imposing fire bans, and involving the community through FireSmart programs, he said.

City staff are reviewing the ability to regulate land use through zoning bylaws, he said, listing landscaping and where structures are positioned on properties as examples.

According to Caitlin Zerebeski, acting branch manager of city operations, the strategy will incorporate how housing and vegetation live side by side in the Edmonton region, making some areas more vulnerable.  

"This creates a complex environment," Zerebeski told the committee. "Edmonton's River Valley and surrounding neighborhoods exemplify a wildfire urban interface."

Factors like topography, weather patterns, encampments and the availability of firefighting resources can add to the wildfire risk, Zerebeski said. 

The city will have a dedicated wildfire technician focusing on higher risk areas. Their work could include removing dead or downed wood debris, and planting more fire-resistant trees and shrubs. 

Made-in-Edmonton AI

The city will also have an artificial intelligence tool to use, called EmberWise, to help predict fire risk by combining data about weather forecasts, flammable materials and public safety.

"We do this by combining data that has otherwise been isolated," said Kris Andreychuk, the manager of data science and research, who leads the team that created the technology.

"We hope that it's this trifecta that's going to get us a really good sense of areas of Edmonton that are at greatest risk," he said.

The A.I. tool, built in partnership with Edmonton Fire Rescue, pulls data from the Edmonton Police Service, internal enforcement and external partners, Andreychuk said. 

Public fire safety

Some city officials urged citizens to practise fire safety measures in their everyday lives.

"We really need the community to do their part too," said Lazenby, the new fire chief.

Fires sparked by cooking, cigarettes and candles are all preventable, he noted. 

Ward O-day'min Coun. Anne Stevenson agreed.

 "There could be a real opportunity to coordinate with community leaders and other local groups to really do some of that local, in-your-neighborhood preparedness," Stevenson said.