Yukon firefighters deployed to Alberta to support wildfire response

The Government of Yukon is sending wildland fire personnel to support wildfire response operations in Alberta.

In total, the Yukon government is sending 21 people to Alberta, including six initial attack crews from the Dawson and Whitehorse regions. The firefighting crews will be joined by an agency representative and an additional wildland fire officer.  The specifics of this deployment may change as the situation evolves in Alberta.

Personnel will leave the Yukon on May 9 and be deployed for up to 19 days, including travel, depending on the needs of the receiving agency. The situation will be continually reassessed to ensure that Alberta is provided maximum possible assistance while remaining prepared to manage any incidents that develop at home.

As a member of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, the Yukon responds when another province or territory requests help. Yukon firefighters were among the out-of-province crews who responded to the 2016 Fort McMurray fire in Alberta.

With snow on the ground in many communities, fire danger in the Yukon is relatively low. Adequate crews will remain at all Yukon fire bases to respond to incidents at home.