The Estevan Airport has been selected as a temporary base of operations for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment’s Wildfire Management firefighting planes.
Estevan city councillor Greg Hoffort, who is also part of the airport liaison committee, made the announcement at the Nov. 23 council meeting. The airport will be used as a base in the event of a wildfire in southern Saskatchewan or Manitoba, or in North Dakota or Montana.
The airport could also serve as a base if there is a forest fire in northern Saskatchewan.
Airport manager Richard Reetz believes Estevan was chosen because of its proximity to the U.S., and the resurfacing of the airport’s runways this past summer.
“The ministry already has two bases of operations in northern Saskatchewan,” Reetz told the Mercury. “There’s a bilateral agreement now set up with some of the U.S. states, so if there’s a wildfire or forest fire in the northern U.S., they would use Estevan to store tanker fire retardant or water, or whatever they’re using, down into the United States, and then come back to Estevan without landing in the U.S.”
It should be easier to provide service if there is a forest fire down south.
The Ministry of Environment has been using Regina as a southern base in the past, but the airport is getting busier and busier. Other cities were considered.
The decision will generate more traffic for the airport, through added revenues from landing fees and infrastructure fees, and greater fuel sales, a portion of which will go to the City of Estevan.
There is an outside chance the ministry’s planes could be stored at the airport, but it’s more likely they will be at the airport only if there is a call.
A temporary building will be set up to store pumps and hoses, and a slough will be expanded into a dugout to handle more water.
The plan is to bring in two or three 5,000-gallon tanks, and a mixing system will be imported to create the foam used in firefighting.
Over the next two years, the ministry will evaluate whether Estevan should be the permanent base for equipment.
“If they’re able to make it work, and there’s a call for it, they’ll invest more money into buildings and infrastructure here,” he said.
Reetz said activity at the airport has slowed down this year due to the slump in the price of oil, but the designation as a temporary base should boost traffic and visibility around the community.
“Last summer we faced a lot of challenges with wildfires and grass fires when it got really dry,” said Reetz. “So if there’s an aircraft like this based out of here, it would definitely provide a lot more security within the 250 miles around the Estevan area.”
In September, the Ministry of Environment’s Wildfire Management department visited the airport to conduct a preliminary investigation of the airport to see if it would meet their needs. They brought their water bomber plane and a smaller bird dog plane to Estevan at the time. Those planes play pivotal roles in the ministry’s fire suppression efforts.
