I'll just note that the interpretation in English does not work completely, and I had to turn it off.
Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for inviting me.
My name is Mike Flannigan. I am the British Columbia innovation research chair in predictive services, emergency management and fire science. Yes, that's a mouthful.
I am honoured to be joining you today. I'm in Kamloops, British Columbia, the traditional and unceded territory of the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc people.
I was saddened by the tragic Jasper fire, the loss of firefighter Morgan Kitchen, the loss of homes and businesses and the emotional toll on people.
Fire management is challenging, and it's becoming more challenging due to the increase in extreme fire weather and fire behaviour. Extremes drive the fire world. In Canada, 3% of our fires burn 97% of our area burned. Much of this happens on a relatively small number of days with extreme conditions, dry fuels and hot, dry, windy weather. A warmer world means more extreme fire weather and more extreme fires.
What can we do to be better prepared for future fire seasons? First, FireSmart should be mandatory in high-risk locations such as Jasper. Otherwise, that rain of embers that can travel kilometres will find homes and businesses to burn. We need structural protection and sprinklers in place.
Thanks to an enhanced early warning system, we know when extreme fire weather will occur and we have a good idea when to expect new fires. We need to get more resources to those locations ahead of time, not after the fact. Even when conditions are extreme, an aggressive initial attack while the fire is still small will be successful.
One approach would be to develop a quickly deployed national wildfire fighting force that would work hand in glove with existing fire management agencies. This could include a national firefighting air fleet as well as ground firefighting crews. Instead of just copying what other countries are already doing in emergency management, we could be leaders by acting before the disaster strikes.
On prevention and mitigation, human-caused fires are preventable, and the number of human-caused fires has been decreasing due to things like fire bans and education. Managing the vegetation—the fuels around communities—can help reduce the likelihood of catastrophic fires.
Wildfires and other potential disasters are multi-faceted issues, and we need multipronged solutions. There is no quick fix.
There are many challenges, but we should explore options to be better prepared to meet current and future fire seasons. We have the knowledge and expertise in Canada to be world leaders in this field.
Thank you for your attention.