Alberta Wildfire is utilizing a new tool in the hope of gaining an upper hand in battling wildfires: a nighttime wildfire-fighting helicopter. This helicopter has been employed in several incidents during the 2023 wildfire season, including fires near Edson and East Prairie Metis Settlement.

The recent wildfire season marked the worst in Alberta's history, with a total of 1,094 wildfires scorching over 2.2 million hectares. The previous record, set in 1981, saw 1.35 million hectares burned. Alberta is currently in the early stages of a five-year contract to trial this helicopter and is believed to be the only province in Canada equipped with such a resource. The helicopter underwent trials in 2022 as well.

Talon, the Richmond, B.C. company contracted by Alberta Wildfire, stated that it conducted a nighttime firefighting trial with B.C. Wildfire in 2020 for two nights but has not engaged in further operations with the province of B.C.

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