Canada and New Brunswick are investing $40 million over four years to enhance wildfire management through the Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program (FMWCC) – Equipment Fund and the Resilient Communities through FireSmart (RCF) Program. The funding will support purchasing firefighting equipment, training personnel, and implementing wildfire prevention initiatives in New Brunswick, according to the Government of Canada.
Both Canada and New Brunswick are contributing $12.8 million each over four years through the FMWCC – Equipment Fund. This will fund essential equipment such as tanks, pumps, drones, trucks, and heavy machinery, as well as upgrades to existing firefighting tools. Additionally, $7.25 million from each government will support the RCF Program, focusing on wildfire prevention measures such as risk assessments, vegetation management, and community education initiatives.
New Brunswick will also establish a dedicated Indigenous firefighting team as part of the investment, strengthening its ability to respond to local wildfires and assist other regions in Canada during periods of high fire activity. The province will apply FireSmart practices, conduct a comprehensive wildfire risk analysis, and implement a province-wide wildfire prevention strategy.
The FMWCC – Equipment Fund, launched by Natural Resources Canada in 2022, aims to increase provincial and territorial firefighting capacity by facilitating cost-shared investments in essential equipment and training. The FireSmart program, managed by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, provides resources and strategies to improve wildfire resilience in communities across the country.
