Alberta has faced unprecedented wildfire challenges over the last two years, and as the province enters the 2025 wildfire season, Alberta’s government is focusing on a three-pronged approach to tackle the threat of catastrophic wildfires: prevention, mitigation and readiness to respond. With increased wildfire activity in recent years, it is crucial that Alberta’s wildland firefighting teams and communities at risk are prepared for any challenge that may arise this season.
If Budget 2025 is passed, the province will invest a new historic high of $160 million in base funding for wildfire personnel, equipment, training and contracts for aircraft, an additional night vision equipped helicopter, and heavy equipment. This investment is vital to ensure Alberta’s wildland firefighting teams have the equipment, training, and personnel needed to respond to wildfire threats and mitigate the impacts of catastrophic wildfires on Alberta’s communities.
“There is nothing more critical than protecting Albertans, our homes and our communities from the effects of wildfires. Alberta is home to some of the best firefighting personnel in the world and through Budget 2025, we are making a major investment in our wildfire teams and communities, giving them the tools, training and support they need to prevent, mitigate and respond quickly to any challenge that may come up this wildfire season.”
“We thank our Alberta Wildfire team and first responders for their ongoing dedication to keeping people safe. The Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) aims to strengthen the province's emergency preparedness and recovery efforts, collaborating with communities to enhance resilience and public safety. With a 2025-26 budget increase of $10 million for a total of $118 million, the AEMA will empower communities to turn challenges into opportunities for growth and safety.”
The Community Fireguard and FireSmart programs are critical to ensuring vulnerable communities in the Forest Protection Area have the tools needed to successfully mitigate the risks of wildfires. In addition to ongoing work on Fireguard projects across the province – including in the Bow Valley near Canmore, as well as Cypress Hills Provincial Park, Hinton, Whitecourt and Slave Lake, Budget 2025 would allocate an additional $15 million over three years to continue supporting projects being administered by the Forest Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA.)
Alberta’s government would also allocate $10.8 million to ensure Albertans can easily access FireSmart resources to better protect their homes and properties.
“FRIAA is pleased to help support Alberta Forestry and Parks as the province enters the 2025 wildfire season. We continue to strongly encourage all communities in Alberta that are exposed to risks of wildfire to participate in the Community Fireguard and FireSmart programs by developing plans and proposals to access funding. Wildfires pose a significant risk to Alberta’s communities, and it’s great to see the province is making wildfire management a priority.”
“Alberta’s wildfire team remains fully prepared and is ready for the 2025 wildfire season. Each year we improve our ability to meet the challenge ahead and the investments we make in people, resources and new technology prove critical in our response efforts.”
A key part of prevention efforts is stopping wildfires before they start. It is essential that every Albertan understands their role in wildfire prevention – every action counts in protecting our communities and natural resources. Last year, the province saw a significant decrease in human-caused wildfires. In 2024, there were 282 wildfires caused by residential and recreational fires, down from 385 in 2020, 395 in 2021, 399 in 2022, and 303 in 2023. This represents a nearly 30 per cent drop from the highest numbers Alberta saw in 2022. It is more important than ever to continue building on that progress to further reduce the risk of future wildfires. As part of these efforts, Alberta’s government is renewing its commitment to public awareness and education campaigns on safe practices, while also enforcing fire bans when necessary.
“Wildfire is the hazard which poses the greatest risk to communities like Canmore. We are more prepared than we have ever been with work on the Bow Valley Community Fireguard ongoing, years of FireSmart work in the community and ongoing efforts to ensure we have the emergency resources we need in place. The support from the Government of Alberta has been instrumental in helping us advance these initiatives.”
“As a community surrounded by forests, fire hazard reduction and protection is a priority for the ongoing safety and security of our community. With the ongoing support of the province, we are nearing completion of our internal community fireguard which will help break the path of a wildfire and keep it away from populated areas and vital infrastructure.”
In 2025, Alberta Wildfire is also launching a pilot project using hoist-equipped helicopters. These helicopters will enable rapid deployment of crews to remote, hard-to-reach areas and provide critical support for emergency evacuations if needed. One new helicopter is under contract and two specialized crews have been hired for this wildfire season. The results of this pilot will determine whether the program will be expanded and continue into 2026.
Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on supporting the economy.
Quick facts
- Budget 2025 allocates more than $1.4 million over three years in additional capital investment to expand and enhance response capacity during the wildfire season.
- Additional funding of $900,000 over three years for Alberta’s Fire Weather Network, ensures enhanced fire weather monitoring to support the wildfire response throughout the province.
- About 51 per cent of wildfires in 2024 were caused by people, down from the five-year average of 67 per cent.
- In 2024, Alberta Wildfire responded to more than 1,210 wildfires with just over 705,000 hectares burned.
- In 2023, there were 1,080 wildfires and more than 2.2 million hectares burned.
- So far in 2025, there have been 21 wildfires, and 78 hectares burned, a dramatic reduction from the same time last year where there were 34 wildfires, and 306 hectares already burned.