Manitoba officially privatizes its forest fire service

Manitoba has officially transferred its firefighting services to the private sector, including the use of its fleet of water bombers.

The government announced Thursday that it has reached an agreement with Babbad Canada Inc., a technical badistance company with a history of providing emergency air services, to fight forest fires now.

"Our government is committed to protecting Manitobans from wildfires and what this agreement brings," said Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler.

"This will ensure shorter response times, increased safety, and a superior aircraft maintenance program that will further enhance the Manitoba firefighting system."

The government will retain ownership of its seven active water bombers, but the fleet will be operated by Babbad Canada, headquartered in Ottawa.

"The aircraft will always serve Manitoba's needs first and can only be deployed outside the province with the consent and direction of the government," Schuler said.

The government has not provided any information on the cost of this arrangement.

Privatization process of air ambulances under way

The province is also privatizing other elements of its air services, including air ambulances.

The province issued a request for proposals earlier this year to take over duties from the provincial government's air services branch.

The majority of Canadian provinces already use private carriers for all forest fire services, Schuler said, noting that Manitoba currently uses private carriers for some guard services, helicopters and crew transportation.

Babbad, who has more than 30 years of experience in aerial firefighting throughout Europe, will work in partnership with Air Spray, an experienced provider of firefighting services with long-term contracts. term in several Canadian provinces and the United States, Schuler said.

Babbad will soon meet with the relevant government employees to discuss employment opportunities under the new operational structure, Schuler said.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) process is underway for air ambulance services as well as for general air transportation services, such as flights provided to Manitoba Hydro.

Once these processes are completed, the agreements will be made public, Schuler said.

There are 91 provincial employees currently working in the government's air services industry.