New wildland firefighting recruits are putting their skills to the test at Alberta's wildfire training centre in Hinton.

hotshot/helishot/helitack captain and, ultimately, crew superintendent. In 1990, Fennessy joined the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) and, ultimately, became chief of department in 2015.

The helitack leader believes that, no matter what happens with the legal challenges and the staffing cuts, the government’s preparations for fire season will be delayed. “Even if they could ...