Firefighters raising alarm over province’s wildfire response
By Erik Bay Global News
Posted June 4, 2021
VIDEO While the Alberta government claims it’s ready for wildfire season, wildland firefighters are raising concerns.
As Erik Bay reports, problems with pay, recruitment and management dysfunction has the province playing with fire and the season is just getting started.
Alberta wildland firefighters are sounding alarm bells this wildfire season.
Alberta Union of Provincial Employees vice-president Mike Dempsey says Alberta’s wildland firefighters are missing paycheques as the province works out issues with its new 1GX pay system.
“We have folks who have started a month to a month and a half ago who haven’t got a single paycheque yet,” Dempsey said. “We’ve got members — and we’re talking hundreds here — who’ve been getting incorrect amounts of pay.”
READ MORE: 15,000 acres burned in Blood Tribe wildfire Sunday, caused by sweat lodge session
1GX replaced the Government of Alberta’s previous business support system, which was over 20 years old. In a statement to Global News, Service Alberta director of communications Graeme McElheran admitted there have been some challenges with the system change.
“Service Alberta is aware of concerns related to firefighters, including seasonal hires, being paid on time and accurately,” McElheran said.
“We are taking action to resolve these issues. Everyone will be paid accurately.”
But Dempsey says firefighters can’t wait.
“We can’t have people literally putting their life on the line — literally — and dismissing them, ‘Oh we’ll get around to paying you whenever we fix the system,'” Dempsey said.
READ MORE: Claresholm father recounts futile attempt to save family home from wildfire
Dempsey also alleges seasonal employment letters were sent to potential workers less than a month before their proposed start date, causing high seasonal crew member turnover.
It’s a claim the press secretary for the minister of Agriculture and Forestry calls “untrue.”
“It’s unfortunate a union organization purposely tries to spread misinformation,” Justin Laurence said in a statement. “Alberta Wildfire hired 432 seasonal crew members this year with an 11.6 per cent turnover rate, well below the average of approximately 25 per cent.”
According to local officials, fire season is off to a dry start this year.
“The moisture content in all the fuels that are on the ground is in the extreme level, so meaning everything is quite dry,” Coaldale deputy fire chief of operations Clayton Rutberg said.
“That bumps our fire risk up quite a bit this time of the year when we start to get that high heat, lower humidity and things get nice and crisp and dry.”
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© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Alberta wildland firefighters are sounding alarm bells this wildfire season.
Alberta Union of Provincial Employees vice-president Mike Dempsey says Alberta’s wildland firefighters are missing paycheques as the province works out issues with its new 1GX pay system.
“We have folks who have started a month to a month and a half ago who haven’t got a single paycheque yet,” Dempsey said. “We’ve got members — and we’re talking hundreds here — who’ve been getting incorrect amounts of pay.”
READ MORE: 15,000 acres burned in Blood Tribe wildfire Sunday, caused by sweat lodge session
1GX replaced the Government of Alberta’s previous business support system, which was over 20 years old. In a statement to Global News, Service Alberta director of communications Graeme McElheran admitted there have been some challenges with the system change.
“Service Alberta is aware of concerns related to firefighters, including seasonal hires, being paid on time and accurately,” McElheran said.
“We are taking action to resolve these issues. Everyone will be paid accurately.”
But Dempsey says firefighters can’t wait.
“We can’t have people literally putting their life on the line — literally — and dismissing them, ‘Oh we’ll get around to paying you whenever we fix the system,'” Dempsey said.
READ MORE: Claresholm father recounts futile attempt to save family home from wildfire
Dempsey also alleges seasonal employment letters were sent to potential workers less than a month before their proposed start date, causing high seasonal crew member turnover.
It’s a claim the press secretary for the minister of Agriculture and Forestry calls “untrue.”
“It’s unfortunate a union organization purposely tries to spread misinformation,” Justin Laurence said in a statement. “Alberta Wildfire hired 432 seasonal crew members this year with an 11.6 per cent turnover rate, well below the average of approximately 25 per cent.”
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Dempsey says the turnover rate among wildland firefighters is closer to 50 per cent.
“Because the job offers came so late, many of (the firefighters) got jobs in British Columbia or the provincial parks,” Dempsey said. “Half of all those workers and seasonal workers that are hired of those many hundreds aren’t coming back.
“We’re really getting a bad rep throughout western Canada for how we treat our seasonal folks and especially those who work in the fire game.”
READ MORE: Lethbridge fire crews battle wind and flames in 3 separate blazes
The conditions are leaving the province unprepared for fire season, says Dempsey.
Dempsey says the turnover rate among wildland firefighters is closer to 50 per cent.
“Because the job offers came so late, many of (the firefighters) got jobs in British Columbia or the provincial parks,” Dempsey said. “Half of all those workers and seasonal workers that are hired of those many hundreds aren’t coming back.
“We’re really getting a bad rep throughout western Canada for how we treat our seasonal folks and especially those who work in the fire game.”
READ MORE: Lethbridge fire crews battle wind and flames in 3 separate blazes
The conditions are leaving the province unprepared for fire season, says Dempsey.
According to local officials, fire season is off to a dry start this year.
“The moisture content in all the fuels that are on the ground is in the extreme level, so meaning everything is quite dry,” Coaldale deputy fire chief of operations Clayton Rutberg said.
“That bumps our fire risk up quite a bit this time of the year when we start to get that high heat, lower humidity and things get nice and crisp and dry.”
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Rutberg reminds anyone having uncontained fires to get a burn permit and to be fire safe.
“If they are using a fire pit… have a way to extinguish the fire pit and make sure they keep it to a reasonable size.”
As of Friday, several fire advisories and warnings were in effect across Alberta.
Rutberg reminds anyone having uncontained fires to get a burn permit and to be fire safe.
“If they are using a fire pit… have a way to extinguish the fire pit and make sure they keep it to a reasonable size.”
As of Friday, several fire advisories and warnings were in effect across Alberta.
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© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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