Hinton Awarded $1.1 Million for Specialist Firefighter Team

The Town of Hinton has been awarded a $1,090,000 grant to hire and host a team of specialist firefighters for the next two years.

The Province of Alberta has approved the funding to support Hinton with the establishment of a four-member Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) team. WUI teams are specialized groups of firefighters trained to respond to wildfires in areas where homes and wildland vegetation meet, focusing on structure protection, training, and wildfire mitigation.

Four new full-time firefighters have been hired for the Hinton Fire Rescue WUI team. These firefighters will play an integral role in Hinton’s ongoing efforts to support wildfire management across Alberta, collaborating with the Government of Alberta.

The Hinton WUI team will offer services including provincial and interprovincial wildfire response, wildfire prevention and FireSmart activities, reviews of municipal sprinkler and community protection plans, and support to the provincial WUI advisory committee.

“I am so happy that the Hinton Fire Rescue was chosen to be a part of the provincial Wildland Urban Interface teams. We look forward to working with the five other provincial WUI teams to ensure the protection of all whom call upon us and our service” – Jim Smith, Fire Chief, Town of Hinton.