New wildfire-fighting planes to be built on Vancouver Island

A fleet of water bombers meant to help with the fight against the increasing threat of wildfires in B.C. and beyond are being manufactured on Vancouver Island.

As fires are becoming more frequent and more destructive, aircraft manufacturer De Havilland Canada says demand has grown for tools to fight the blazes.

The company is building some of the essential components of new DHC-515 firefighting planes on Vancouver Island.

“There is certainly a growing demand for water bombers in places that traditionally haven’t had them,” said Neil Sweeney, vice-president of corporate affairs.

“Places that have had water bombers in the past, the summers are hotter and more intense so they’re looking at increasing the number of their fleets.”

So far the European Union has requested 22 of the new planes but Sweeney says he has heard interest from Alberta and Manitoba as well.

Canada currently has 57 of the older models.

The new aircraft can gather about 6,000 litres of water in 12 seconds and take off and land much quicker than other models.

“They’re very versatile, very rugged and a very dependable aircraft.”

Water bombing planes are an essential part of quickly targeting wildfires, according to Steve Taylor a forestry research scientist.

"They're really important in what's called 'initial attack,' in getting to the fire when it's small,” said Taylor, adding that 20 per cent of Canada’s total wildfire fighting budget is spent on water bombing, he says.

The country first started investing in water bombers in the 1950s he says, and Taylor says they are evolving as technology evolves.

"There may be some role of remotely operated water bombers in the future,” he says.

Part of the new planes will be built in North Saanich, near the Victoria International Airport. The final assembly will be done in Calgary.

There are about 125 people currently working at the North Saanich facility, but Sweeney expects about 300 people could be hired in the years ahead.

As demand for planes to fight wildfires increases, the company believes they could make more than 200 of the new planes over the next 15 years.