Overview
Alberta’s Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Program combines wildland and urban firefighting. The WUI Program focuses on places where residential, industrial and agricultural areas meet or intermingle with wildland vegetation. Fires burning at the intersection of forests, grasslands and communities are complex and require the skillsets of both a structural firefighter and a wildland firefighter.
WUI is shared between the provincial government and local fire departments, with the province providing funding and coordination, and the local fire departments providing staff and equipment, such as fire engines.
Governance
The WUI Program is co-managed by the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) and the Forestry Operations Branch.
The WUI advisory committee includes:
- provincial officials
- fire chiefs and other staff from municipal fire departments
- First Nations and Metis Settlements
- structure protection specialists
- Alberta Wildfire’s Hinton Training Centre
The committee engages and collaborates in partnership to provide recommendations for the WUI program, which helps drive overarching guidelines, equipment, training and tactical preparedness.
Guidelines
Alberta created the Alberta Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Guidelines to improve integration and interoperability within the province’s emergency management system. These guidelines are intended to provide all emergency management stakeholders in the province with a common understanding of the organization and structure of the WUI Program, as well as the processes, procedures and terminology that will be employed to:
- prevent
- mitigate
- prepare for
- respond to
- recover from wildfires that cross into urban areas
Provincial teams
The provincial government provides funding to the local fire departments in:
- Clearwater County
- Kananaskis Improvement District
- Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council
- Lac La Biche County
- Towns of:
- High Level
- Hinton
- Slave Lake
- Strathmore
These local authorities and First Nations have provincial Wildland Urban Interface teams that may be called on, through the 24/7 monitoring station at the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre, to help fight fires in their broader regions.
Other local fire departments may be eligible for deployment to a WUI event, subject to approval from their administration and the AEMA. Please see the Alberta Wildland Urban Interface Guidelines for more information.
A procurement process for qualified private sector contractors is currently in development.
Training
To be considered for a WUI deployment to a fire, personnel must be trained in at least one of the levels listed in the Alberta Wildland Urban Interface Guidelines. There are different requirements for different positions and roles, with a higher level of qualification, experience and training required for more complex responsibilities.
The control of training standards is centralized, and the curriculum is developed in the context of validated operating concepts. WUI positions, in order of descending responsibility, are as follows:
- Branch Director (STPS)
- Division/Group Supervisor (STPS)
- Strike Team/Task Force Leader
- Crew Boss
- Crew Member
Enrolment
Training is open to staff in any municipal fire department, provided they meet the prerequisites. Email [email protected] to inquire about course offerings and dates.
Resources
- Alberta Wildland Urban Interface Guidelines
- Wildland Urban Interface pocket guide
- Daily Resources Time Ticket
- Daily Situation Report
- Missing/Damaged Equipment Form
- Resource Manifest
- Triage Assessment
- Position handover form
- ICS forms
- ICS 231
Contact
Connect with the Wildland Urban Interface program:
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Email: [email protected]