As Saskatchewan outpaces the five-year average for wildfires at this time of year, by leaps and bounds, the provincial government announces details of a major purchase to battle wildfires.
Four re-purposed land-based airtanker aircraft are being purchased and will consist of two Dash 8-Q400AT models and two Dash 8-Q400MRE models come with a price tag of approximately $187.06 million.
According to the latest update on the wildfire status from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, there are four wildfires burning in Saskatchewan right now. Two are contained and there have been 36 wildfires to date this year compared to the five-year average which is nine. At least three of those fires are human caused including the Ebony fire south of Smeaton, the Birch fire between Prince Albert and Batoche and the fire burning north of Meadow Lake.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s (SPSA) current fleet includes four Convair 580 airplanes which will approach the end of their useful lifespan in 2027. Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman said the aircraft are used in instances where waterbombers may not be able to access lakes to fill up their tanks.
The Dash 8-Q400AT planes are dedicated air tankers, while the Dash 8-Q400MRE models can be fitted as an airtanker and reconfigured to provide multiple roles for air operations like air evacuations, patient transport, and cargo hauling.
The first of the four airplanes is expected to arrive in late summer of 2025, with the remaining arriving by the end of 2027.
Conair Aerial Firefighting President and CEO Matt Bradley says Saskatchewan is the first province to invest in the multi role airtankers which he says are built “by Canadians for Canadians. ”
In 2024-25, the SPSA will make a$5.52 million deposit and budget planning will include an additional three-year payment plan. Federal funding of $16.29 million is committed to offset the cost of the aircraft through Natural Resources Canada’s Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program (FMWCC).
