Province to invest in new aircraft to help fight wildfires

The 2024-25 provincial budget will provide the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) with a $5.5-million investment for four aircraft to help manage wildfires in the province.

Steve Roberts, the vice-president of operations for the SPSA, said this is part of a refurbishment plan to replace four land-based Convair 580 air tankers the province currently is using.

The older planes will be replaced with two Dash-8Q400AT planes and two Dash 8-Q400MRE aircraft. Roberts said the new aircraft will be larger and faster than planes in the current fleet.

Roberts added the new tankers will also help with pilot recruitment in the province.

“Most pilots who are trained now are trained on newer aircraft types,” he said, adding the newer planes are more common in today’s market.

Although just the deposit was outlined in the budget this year, Roberts said the total cost for the tankers will be around $187 million.

The first of the four planes are expected to arrive in the summer of 2025, with the rest arriving by 2027.

Last year’s wildfire season was busy for the province, although it wasn’t the most damaging one on record. Roberts said in a previous interview it was one of the busiest he’s seen in more than 20 years, comparable to the summers of 2015 and 2017.

To prepare for this season, Roberts said the SPSA has recalled operational groups early for training, and all fire equipment has been inspected and refurbished.

Each year the SPSA receives around $80 million in funding to prepare and respond to emergencies.

Roberts said most spring fires are caused by humans and advises individuals to be mindful as spring approaches.