Edmonton wins national fire chiefs' award for wildfire strategy launched in April

The City of Edmonton has won the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs award for Best Practices in the Wildland-Urban Interface, the city announced Sept. 28. The award recognizes Edmonton's collaborative approach to protecting communities from wildfire risk and to strengthening preparedness and resilience.

The strategy behind the award, the Wildland-Urban Interface Wildfire Risk Strategy, was introduced in April 2026. It covers areas where urban development meets undeveloped wildland vegetation, including neighbourhoods and businesses bordering the River Valley and the ravine system.

Edmonton's integrated approach brings together teams from emergency response, environmental planning, parks management and technology. Together they protect the city's 7,400-hectare River Valley and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Protecting Edmonton's River Valley is a responsibility no single department can carry alone. This award recognizes what we can accomplish when we bring our expertise together, identify risks before emergencies happen and work toward a shared goal of protecting our communities.Deputy Fire Chief Megan Rogers

As part of the strategy, the city deploys a growing fleet of semi-autonomous thermal drones that patrol the River Valley during wildland fire season. It is also advancing a 55-node environmental sensor grid that detects ignition events within 15 minutes.

The city uses EmberWise, an in-house AI forecasting tool, to analyze local weather and conditions in real time. That analysis informs decisions on fire restrictions or bans.

More than 900 City employees have received Emergency Social Services training to support residents during emergencies and large-scale evacuations. Proactive work is also underway to manage vegetation and fuel loads, map forest stands, coordinate prescribed burns and use environmental monitoring for early detection.

The city says those activities reduce wildfire fuel, help prevent high-intensity fires, return nutrients to the ecosystem and increase biodiversity. Edmonton is also delivering FireSmart education to neighbourhoods facing high wildfire risk, helping residents reduce hazards around their homes.