In Canada, a forest firefighter must be proficient with both axes and pumps in addition to a water mist lance. Hundreds of new recruits are being trained in Quebec and the other provinces to put out fires before another potentially severe wildfire season.
The second-largest country in the world geographically may experience apocalyptic conditions in the upcoming months, raising concerns that the recruits may soon be working in the wilderness.
Every section of the nation was burnt by fires last year, especially Quebec. Hundreds more firemen were trained as a result of the worst fire season in the history of the country, which served as a warning.
“It got me thinking. I said to myself, ‘It’s my turn, I’m going to go do this, it seems like something important to do,'” Jean-Philippe Lavoie, originally from Windsor, Ontario told AFP.
This 36-year-old forestry technician was considering a career change and last year’s fires convinced him to take the plunge.
He spent a week in training outside Quebec City at the start of May to learn how to battle fires and use tools like lances and pump systems. AFP was permitted to watch.
A few of the dozen or so new hires are mountain guides, some are forestry technicians, but the majority have never worked in a real fire.
As their instructors went over the fundamentals with the novices, they were gathered in small groups around a lake in a forested area and took notes.
“We are preparing to face seasons that are more challenging,” Philippe Bergeron, a spokesman for the Society for the Protection of Forests against Fires, told AFP following an exceptional 2023 season.
Last year, hundreds of foreign firefighters from more than 20 different countries came to lend a hand to Canadians facing an immense logistical challenge with dozens of megafires in difficult-to-access deep woods.
According to Bergeron, Quebec intends to hire 160 more firemen during the next two years, a 30% increase in employment levels, to deal with the longer and more violent fire seasons associated with global warming.
The funding and manpower dedicated to battling fires are also rising in the other provinces.
