Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan
Northern Advocate
After several years of wildfires, this past being the worst in recent history, it seems about time the government and all of us really, begin to take a good look at what works best to deal with wildfires coming into 2026.
Perhaps a better way is to look at how we fight fires, or don’t, and take a stronger look at where it’s problematic.
Communities across the north have experienced evacuation most every summer, sometimes, more than once in a season and there is no change in sight.
The bottom line, it seems whatever is being done in fighting wildfires is definitely not working.
I have covered numerous new conferences, where leaders from the north, who are tired and frustrated by having their people moved south on evacuation.
For the first time ever, at least of what I can remember, norther leaders, many or maybe all of them, very versed in firefighting, with much experience and training, and what happens is, decisions regarding wildfires remain with the provincial government.
It is several years, I know, since I have even talked to someone during wildfire season, there are many aspects to wildfire fighting. There’s people’s lives, homes that are struck in the first place.
How does one say, “o, we’ll manage the fire,” and its pitiful the difference.
Yet these people have the knowledge, training and experience to fight wildfires.
For starters, the provincial government uses a financial approach in their management plan. So the dollar is the measure for how important residents lives, homes and communities measure up in the wildfire
I still can’t get over hearing about using a management plan to organize the wildfire response in the province in the first place. A wildfire starts quickly, spreads fast, quickly causes much damage quickly, and I want to know, how can that be managed?
How does that work? I have not, for several years, been able to find the answer these questions. What seems to happen is wildfires are left to burn until they come very close to communities and then – evacuation!
If that’s what’s going to be done, then you end up with losses, and people leaving home for undetermined amounts of time and so on and on it goes, all the time costing more and more money.
People are uprooted from their homes, children sometimes miss school, it just goes on and on.
And what about health. The smoke is not healthy and now we have it all over the country with some smoke coming from long away and we have smoke filled air all summer long year after year.
Is it not time to make some major changes?
The first might be to listen to the people living in the north, who have the experience and knowledge in fighting dealing with wildfires.
Wildfires will always be there as the forest doesn’t renew without fire.
And what about the trees?
Human life, and I’m assuming land, air and water life, can’t live without trees. Yet we have people being arrested in various parts of the country trying to save forests, particularly older forest.
It seems we would be much better listening to these people, because they might have more knowledge and understanding than those creating the current practices, which are not working.
It comes down to what’s important!
We have this beautiful planet to live on and enjoy, and the practice seems to be to destroy.
This thinking always takes me back to thoughts of children. What do we want for our children, a future of compromised health, and struggle for survival?
I am thankful for the people who fight to raise awareness, to learn about and fight to preserve the amazing eco-systems we have on this earth for ourselves and future generations.
And if we don’t wake up very quickly, we won’t have those knowledge keepers around to teach us and help us make the changes that are needed now.
We need some common sense, even though common sense is not that common these days!
