Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy Best Practices Workshop POLICY REVIEW

1. Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy Best Practices WorkshopPOLICY REVIEW Phil Taudin-Chabot B. C. Ministry of Forests Steve Taylor Natural Resources Canada

2. The Policy Makers Provincial and territorial governments have the primary fire management responsibility • However at least 9 federal agencies, dozens of provincial and territorial agencies and hundreds of local governments have an interest in wildland fire. Legislation, public information, and fire management programs are the three tools governments have to influence wildland fire. Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

3. Policy Objectives • Definition of “managed forest” • Area used to define AAC • Additional forested area where harvesting may occur • Additional forested area where natural disturbances are managed (e.g. parks) • Defined by province if required Canadian agencies manage about 7600wildland fires annually to: • protect economic values on 150 million ha of managed forest land • protect hundreds of communities near wildlands • maintain fire as an ecological process in parks and on 250 million hectares of unmanaged forest Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

4. Policy Questions • Are the current wildland fire management policy and institutional arrangements in Canada adequate? • How could they be improved? • Where are the gaps? • Will current arrangements meet future needs? Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

5. Prevention and Mitigation Scan • Over 50% of wildfires are person caused • Legislation and public information have been main prevention tools • Fuels management and reducing structure susceptibility are also important means of mitigating WUI losses • Some fuels management and community protection planning has been done by provincial and territorial agencies: National Parks and local governments > e.g. FireSmart • Interagency cooperation at provincial and regional level > e.g. Partners in Protection (Alberta), interface committees in BC Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

6. Prevention and Mitigation Policy Issues • No clear national wildland fire prevention message. Make Canada Firesmart! • Provincial resource agencies can’t solve WUI alone. • Better engage the public and local government and their ability to influence development and structure susceptibility in the WUI Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

7. Prevention and Mitigation Policy Issuescont. • Canadian building and fire code doesn’t include threat of WUI fire as in some other countries (e.g. US - NFPA, Australia code). • No restrictions on use of roofing materials for residences in fire-prone areas. • Canadian insurance industry hasn’t promoted rate-based incentives Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

8. Preparedness Scan • Meteorological Service of Canada provides fire weather forecast data and lightning detection data to fire management agencies on cost recovery basis • All CDN agencies use CFFDRS as basis for preparedness planning in provincial systems or the Spatial Fire Management System • Interagency cooperative agreements e.g. Canadian MARS, regional compacts with US State agencies, Canada US Reciprocal Agreement Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

9. Preparedness Issues • Use of CMS forecasters declining. No national policy on fire weather forecast services. • Need for a national fire preparedness system? • Should MARS be expanded to more agencies? Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

10. Response Scan • Provincial, federal, local government agencies and in some cases private companies suppress fires depending on ownership. • Use of performance measures for intensive suppression areas increasing • Resource sharing is increasingly being used as a form of risk management in busy fire years. Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

11. Response Scan Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

12. Response Scan cont. • ICS introduced to wildland fire agencies in 2003 • Fire fighter health and safety regulations vary across Canada. Bill C-45 may increase focus on need to train firefighters to a national standard. Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

13. Response Scan cont. • Emergency and civil authorities involved in evacuations. • States of Emergency can be declared to gain use of extraordinary emergency powers and resources • During a State of Emergency or where all civilian resources are committed, can call on DND for assistance. Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

14. Response: Policy Issues • Need to standardize fire management zonation between jurisdictions ? • Do performance measures need to be quantified for all agencies? • Do resource sharing demands exceed Canadian capacity? Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

15. Response: Policy Issuescont. • Need to implement ICS more widely through emergency management agencies? • Need for consistent evacuation protocols or standards as part of ICS ? • Mechanism to share risk of annual budget fluctuations? Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

16. Recovery Scan • Land management agencies responsible for rehabilitation and reforestation • Disaster Financial Assistance Agreement provides assistance to provinces for large natural disasters. • Approx. $115 million paid out for forest fire damage to communities since 1990 ($100 million to BC in 2003) • Insurance payouts for forest fire losses excluding Kelowna fire are believed to be minimal Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

17. Recovery Issues • Is current Disaster Financial Assistance Agreement responsive enough? • DFAA does not cover costs of suppressing “fires which threaten such destruction as would constitute a major disaster” as does US (FEMA). Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

18. Environmental Scan • Most Canadian resource management agencies recognize ecological role of fire • Use prescribed fire, or allow wildfires to burn where commercial and cultural values are not threatened e.g. Provincial and National Parks and wilderness areas • CCFM to decide in 2005 whether to include forest management in Canada’s Kyoto commitment. Wildfire a significant source of uncertainty in whether forests are a carbon source or sink. Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

19. Environmental Issues • Ecological role of fire and need for appropriate response is not well understood by Canadians • Some provincial air quality legislation is a deterrent to prescribed burning. • Kyoto may significantly influence fire management objectives. Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review

20. Policy Summary • Canada does not have a national fire policy. • Current policies and institutional arrangements in use in Canada are adequate for average fire seasons. • The 2003 fire season challenged the system, although only western Canada had a high activity. Can the system cope with high fire activity in more than one region ? • Are current policies and institutional arrangements sufficient to meet future needs? Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy: Policy Review