A Saskatchewan bomber scoops up water to fight the fire near Weyakwin. (Facebook/Jay Are En)

By Susan McNeil

Wildfire response

Over 1,000 firefighters and 50 aircraft part of fire response

Jun 7, 2025 | 6:00 AM

All of the province’s available assets to fight wildfires and help evacuees are being used.

That from Premier Scott Moe who has faced increased scrutiny about the level of response.

“We’re putting every asset that we have available — despite the questions with respect to the military — whether it’s air assets from across this nation and across the continent,” Moe said when speaking to media on Friday during the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s (SPSA) daily briefing.

Moe said every firefighting resource has been deployed, including about 50 aircraft and about 1,000 trained firefighters.

“Highly qualified firefighters that are on the ground battling to save not only a northern Saskatchewan community, but to save, quite likely in many cases, their own community and they are fighting and they are fighting very, very hard,” said Moe.

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The SPSA has its own fleet of 10 air tankers and seven bird-dog aircraft that guide the tankers and direct other air traffic over and near the wildfires. Last year, the government unveiled more details on four re-purposed land-based airtanker aircraft, consisting of two Dash 8-Q400AT models and two Dash 8-Q400MRE models, being purchased at an approximate cost of $187.06 million. The planes will replace the current fleet of land-based airtanker aircraft, which consists of four Convair 580 airplanes. Those planes will approach the end of their useful lifespan in 2027.

In its daily situation report, the SPSA breaks down what it calls the fires of note and describes what resources are being used in each. They usually include Type 1, 2 and 3 firefighters, heavy equipment, helicopter and air tanker support, Delta Wildfire Irrigation Values Protection Specialists, Gel Systems Canada, local fire departments, out of province and American support, Wildcat protection services, and contracted float planes among other contracted workers, municipal and volunteer fire departments.

Moe said that while the military doesn’t necessarily have the specific skills needed for firefighting, they may be called in if RCMP officers are re-deployed from their current posts to help with security at the G7 meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta in mid June.

The RCMP issued a statement Friday that the 29 officers who were supposed to go to the G7 will remain in Saskatchewan. The force has also activated is divisional Emergency Operations Centre to help orchestrate their wildfire response. One of the jobs they have taken on is to make sure generators are in place along with satellite phones and internet systems when outages are caused by wildfires.

There are firefighters and resources from across the continent helping battle blazes in Saskatchewan. (Jay Ar En/Facebook)

Talks of national air tanker fleet

Moe said he is having regular conversations with Prime Minister Mark Carney, including a chat about a national air tanker fleet.

He said Saskatchewan would likely be interested in funding a portion of such a fleet.

“We have the agreements in place, not only the Canadian but North American agreements on how we would share those assets,” he said.

He said the province and federal government should seriously look into getting a significant number of large tankers that are available for provinces in times of need and even more broadly, for North America.

Moe said one of the four additional airtankers will be arriving soon.

“I was talking with another province the other day that are just placing their order now and those orders won’t be available till post 2030,” he said.

-With files from CKOM

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social