PRINCE ALBERT — As wildfire seasons become longer and more complex, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) continues to strengthen Saskatchewan's ability to prepare for and respond to wildfires through close collaboration with provincial, national and international partners.
Saskatchewan's long-standing participation in the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) and international mutual-aid agreements support the sharing of personnel, aircraft and specialized wildfire equipment when and where it is needed most.
"Partnerships are a key component of Saskatchewan's wildfire strategy," Minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency Michael Weger said. "By working through CIFFC and our international partners, we are better able to protect Saskatchewan lives, communities, major infrastructure and resources while standing ready to assist those partners when needed."
To support effective resource sharing, the SPSA must ensure its personnel meet nationally recognized standards before they deploy. This interoperability allows Saskatchewan firefighters and incident management staff to integrate seamlessly into multi-jurisdictional wildfire operations, both within Canada and internationally.
During the 2025 wildfire season, the SPSA requested out-of-province assistance 35 times from other provinces within Canada and other agencies within North America through the CIFFC, the Northwest Compact (NWC) and the Great Plains Compact (GPC).
Provincial and local partnerships
Through partnerships with the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs and the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, the SPSA deployed 64 different municipal fire departments throughout the province in 2025 to assist with protecting communities at risk of wildfire.
The SPSA also has strong partnerships with Indigenous and northern communities to contract Type 2 firefighters, who provide firefighting services as needed. In 2025, the SPSA used 415 Type 2 firefighters.
"Wildfires do not respect borders," said Weger. "Our partnerships through CIFFC and international agreements, along with our strong partnerships within the province, ensure Saskatchewan has access to a deep pool of expertise, equipment, aircraft and other resources in the event of another challenging wildfire season."
Its participation in these compacts and agreements provides the agency with access to thousands of trained wildland firefighters, aircraft and specialized equipment.
