Challenges to Wildfire Preparedness in Ontario, Canada

Sammanfattning

Climate change is escalating wildfire risk across Ontario, Canada, which has led to growing calls for a shift towards more proactive wildfire management. To better understand the current context, this thesis provides an overview of challenges to wildfire preparedness across different levels and domains of Ontario. Fourteen professionals with diverse wildfire-related backgrounds were interviewed, resulting in four themes that capture challenges; 1) learning to live with fire, 2)operational fire response, 3) community-based preparedness, and 4) evolving fire conditions. Overall, findings reveal persistent difficulties in implementing holistic fire and landscape stewardship. Analysis was developed along three levels; at the household level (i), economic barriers and cognitive biases prevail, while awareness campaigns and education provide potential levers for better household preparedness. At the agency level (ii), a suppression-centric status quo, staffing struggles, organizational structures, and hesitancy to relinquish control constrain more holistic approaches. Prioritizing a sustainable, diverse workforce and supporting the growth of Indigenous fire stewardship are identified as avenues forward. At the community level (iii), challenges include inadequate evacuation conditions, community preparedness plans, and limited provincial outreach. Increased local investment as well as Indigenous- and community-led planning are highlighted as critical to bridging these gaps. Finally, climate change compounds challenges and complexity explains obstacles to conceptualization and implementation of holistic solutions.