Former members of an elite Alberta wildfire-fighting crew say government budget cuts have left the province battling its current blazes short-handed.
“We could have been difference-makers,” said Jordan Erlandson, a former member of Alberta’s Rapattack team.
Those firefighters were trained to rappel from helicopters to get at wildfires while they still only covered a few hectares. When one storm sparked several fires, they could extinguish them before they merged. They also cleared landing spaces for other helicopters to bring in crews and gear.
That program once had 63 firefighters stationed around the province, including at Edson, Fox Creek and Lac La Biche —
