Wildfire service ‘well-positioned’ to assess itself: deputy minister

The assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Wildfire Service is defending the province’s decision to assess the department’s preparedness internally instead of hiring a consultant.

Kristin Hayward said in a briefing note for the incoming NDP government following the October 2023 provincial election that the department was “exploring opportunities to engage the services of a consultant” to assess the wildfire service’s response preparedness.

Hayward was asked Thursday why the province opted not to hire a consultant. She said it was only one of the options considered.

“The department has really broad and extensive experience in wildfires, obviously,” she said at a wildfire update news conference. “We know our situation well, and we’re really well-positioned to be able to do an assessment and implement any recommendations that would come out of that.”

During and after the wildfire season, crews, service members, stakeholders and other agencies involved in the response are debriefed and interviewed and recommendations are implemented, she said.

“I would say it’s a very thorough assessment and a broad scope of recommendations that can come out of it,” she said.

Emergency Management Organization Minister Lisa Naylor said the province has already acted on some of those recommendations.

“The government has hired and trained initial attack crews a month earlier,” Naylor said, adding the province purchased more fire-suppression equipment, new information technology for weather intelligence, obtained heavy-lift helicopters for the first time and started a “fire smart committee” to assess and prioritize opportunities for prevention and mitigation, she said.

“This is a more co-ordinated and strategic effort than we’ve ever seen in the province in response to one of the worst wildfire seasons we’ve ever had,” she said.

“This is a more co-ordinated and strategic effort than we’ve ever seen in the province in response to one of the worst wildfire seasons we’ve ever had.”–Lisa Naylor, Emergency Management Organization Minister

Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan asked Thursday about the alternatives to hiring a consultant and why they weren’t included among the “urgent” issues presented to the incoming NDP minister.

“Clearly it was urgent enough to create a briefing note in the transition period (between governments). Why were the other options not listed there?” Khan (Fort Whyte) said in an interview.

“Everything in the briefing note that is laid out for the current NDP government are issues that could have been improved on during this state of emergency,” he said. “There was room for improvement in communication, how decisions were made, timely decisions on staff, equipment, policies, training…. That’s why they need to bring in a consultant.

Natural Resources Minister Ian Bushie said the government is making targeted investments to ensure Manitoba is ready for the wildfire seasons ahead.

“Rather than outsourcing, we are focused on building capacity within our public service,” Bushie said in a prepared statement late Thursday.

The reeve of the RM of Lac du Bonnet said there’s no point in asking why the government didn’t hire a consultant when it took office in 2023.

“We’ve got a whole new set of circumstances today,” said Loren Schinkel, whose municipality lost two residents to a wildfire last month.

“It’s easy to say ‘should have, could have, would have,’ right? But I have to say that Manitoba wildfire services, for us — when we went through our crisis — they were remarkable with the co-ordination, the collaboration of resources, just their approach and the ongoing discussions and briefings.

“I can’t be critical of that. When you ask ‘Is there a better way that we can move on in the future?’ — I think it’s already being discussed. We’re going to do a whole review of our process through our emergency-management side.”

An external review agency is working with municipalities and the province to assess and improve the wildfire response, he said.“I think that we’re all going to be able to do better.”

Matthew Wiens, a co-owner of Viking Lodge in Cranberry Portage, said the wildfire service needs quicker response times.

“The fire that caused our evacuation here last spring should have been dealt with immediately when it was detected, and they didn’t,” he said. “The same thing has happened this year. The response is too slow. They need to be prepared, I’d say, at the beginning of May for the northern area.”

The municipal emergency response co-ordinator for the RM of Kelsey — which includes Cranberry Portage — said she trusts the wildfire service to evaluate itself and improve.

“I have confidence that the province can do a fair evaluation based on my experience and the connections I’ve made with Manitoba wildfire officials,” said Lori Forbes. “I trust those folks, that they are doing their utmost best. Should things be reviewed? Absolutely. But this was such a unique event, I’m not sure anybody could have been prepared for that, honestly.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca