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2026 Wildfire Season
- Thread starter daftandbarmy
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Note that BC has the following Type 1 firefighters imported:Defense miniser says CAF is ready if asked for support, im surprised the province hasn't asked for federal assistance yet
Military ready to assist B.C. with wildfire relief efforts, Ottawa says
B.C. Interior blaze has displaced more than 20,000 people, growing dramatically over the weekendwww.theglobeandmail.com
300 - Mexico
100 - Costa Rica
185 - Alberta
80? - Quebec
Under BCWS policy Type 1 firefighters are needed to establish the initial wildfire perimeter control included danger tree work. Follow up crews - Type 2 Contract and Type 3 contract are limited on what parts of a fire they can operate on.
CAF members are normally considered Type 3 crews due to the lack of training they receive. So less call for the CAF when the international resources - who haven't always been available in recent years - can fill the gap.
There is also a significant Australian, New Zealand and for the first time Mexico overhead staff assisting internationally. Australia and New Zealand also have 250? staff split between crews and overhead in the US.
CIFFC gives a sense of who is where. Alberta, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, some Quebec and Yukon resources are still in Ontario plus 100 Mexican fire fighters.
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Doug Ford calls for purchase of 60 water bombers as part of national wildfire strategy
Some provinces are already buying additional aircraft from Calgary-based De Havilland, which manufactures the Canadair 515
www.theglobeandmail.com
Seems like Doug Ford read the email I sent him.
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Sure, that's water bombers Ontario doesn't have to buy. Provinces may have placed orders but the article makes it sound like their agents are in Calgary kicking tires on the DHC lot and looking at paint options.Doug Ford calls for purchase of 60 water bombers as part of national wildfire strategy
Some provinces are already buying additional aircraft from Calgary-based De Havilland, which manufactures the Canadair 515
Seems like Doug Ford read the email I sent him.
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60 water bombers...lets assume they're all CL-515's and that is the best airframe.Doug Ford calls for purchase of 60 water bombers as part of national wildfire strategy
Some provinces are already buying additional aircraft from Calgary-based De Havilland, which manufactures the Canadair 515
Seems like Doug Ford read the email I sent him.
That's something like 20-30 bomber "groups" in operation. Alberta alone operates 10 groups ranging from single plane configurations like the L-188 Electra or Dash 8-Q400 to 5/6 plane groups of Air Tractors.
Saskatchewan has 10 tankers - 6 CL-215's + 4 Dash8 Q400's. Call it 7 groups worth
Yukon has 5 - 1 Electra and 4 Air tractor 802's. 2 groups worth.
Manitoba has 7 tankers - CL-215 and CL-415's. another 2-3 groups worth.
I couldn't quickly find numbers for BC. But I'm already at 21 groups worth of tankers in just AB, SK, MB, and the YK.
This is unfortunately a lot like the CAF discussion on the next RCAF airframe - how many F-35's vs. Grippens does a person need and for what services. 60 will not be enough to cover Canadian demand.
There is already a small national fleet - for the first time ever - under CIFFC. While it's only 4 tankers (single groups) it's a start. However I also question how much should be federal unless it serves more than just a single purpose especially if it's going to be operated by the CAF. Buy airframes and putting out contracts to service and operate the planes - which is what some provinces do currently - makes more sense but then where do you place them?
Parks Canada is another option to place a national fleet under their control as it would keep the org structure somewhat clean. They currently do not have tankers that I am aware of but airstrips and tanker bases are also not set up in the parks. So another major infrastructure need to align with basing aircraft plus you need to geographically spread them out so it's not a base being set up but a system which is not cheap.
But at the end of the day...it doesn't matter how many tankers you have. Or how much heavy equipment. Or how many helicopters....you still need boots on the group. And if you don't have crews to back up suppression work then you're in trouble.
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Fossil
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Was told they were having hiring issues in Ontario for pilots as well. For comparision for those who fly...here's the recruitment ad for an Ontario CL-415 pilot.It matters to Rob Ford because ...
Ontario Public Service Careers - Job Preview
Was not able to find a 2026 article but here's a 2025 article talking about some of the challanges. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/water-bomber-pilot-shortage-ontario-1.7566039
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Starting below $100k annualized.Was told they were having hiring issues in Ontario for pilots as well. For comparision for those who fly...here's the recruitment ad for an Ontario CL-415 pilot.
Ontario Public Service Careers - Job Preview
www.gojobs.gov.on.ca
Was not able to find a 2026 article but here's a 2025 article talking about some of the challanges. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/water-bomber-pilot-shortage-ontario-1.7566039
This thread just Venn Diagrammed bizarrely with the Iran thread.
John Gradek was kind in his assessment of Ford’s 60 aircraft, “Ford’s water bomber number appears to be pulled from thin air.”. Ford begrudgingly realizes forest fires cost the province a ton of money. Money we don’t have since he’s blowing a wad on the bottomless pit of nuclear power to feed the AI bottomless pit.
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