Premier David Eby Directs $135 Million for BC Wildfire Night-Vision Helitack and Air Tanker Fleets

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — British Columbia Premier David Eby and Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston announced on Monday the distribution of $135 million in provincial emergency management capital funding to expand the BC Wildfire Service aviation fleet, purchasing five amphibious water-scooping air tankers and equipping initial-attack helicopter strike teams with military-grade Night Vision Goggle (NVG) avionics for 24/7 aerial firefighting operations.

The investment directly implements recommendations from the Premier's Expert Task Force on Emergencies, enabling firefighting aircraft to drop water and retardant on active wildfire perimeters at night when lower temperatures, higher humidity, and reduced wind speeds make fire containment significantly more effective.

Crushing Wildfires at Night When Fire Behavior Calms Historically, aviation safety rules grounded firefighting aircraft at sunset, allowing smoldering fires to expand unchecked overnight before daytime winds rekindled aggressive crown fires.

"British Columbians have experienced consecutive summers of unprecedented wildfire destruction, and we are ensuring our brave wildland firefighters have the modern equipment needed to defend our communities day and night," Premier David Eby said at the BC Wildfire Service Provincial Air Tanker Center in Kamloops. "Wildfire behavior cools down at night, and that is precisely when aerial suppression is most effective. This $135 million investment equips our pilots with night-vision technology, buys five modern water-bombers, and gives us the round-the-clock aerial firepower needed to knock down fires before they threaten towns."

Aviation Fleet and Tactical Deployments The $135 million package finances:

• Five Amphibious Water-Scooping Air Tankers: Custom-built Canadian De Havilland DHC-515 water bombers capable of refilling 6,000 litres from lakes in 12 seconds.
• 12 Night-Vision Initial Attack Helicopters: Equipping medium-lift Bell 412 helicopters with NVG cockpit avionics, thermal forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, and water-drop buckets.
• Kamloops & Prince George Aviation Training Simulators: $15 million to install full-motion flight simulators for night firefighting certification.

Wildfire firefighters, municipal mayors in the BC Interior, and First Nations forestry leaders praised the decisive funding, emphasizing that 24/7 aerial response stops lightning-sparked fires in remote terrain before they merge into uncontrollable complexes.