Volunteer firefighters are crucial in wildfire battle. Does Canada have enough?

The high volume of fires burning across Canada is putting an increasing mental and physical strain on firefighters - the majority of whom are volunteers.

With Canada on track for its most severe wildfire season ever, it’s “all hands-on deck,” but a shortage of firefighters across the country is raising concern for the rest of the season.

Canadian soldiers and hundreds of firefighters from other countries have joined the fight amid a staffing crunch and recruitment challenges for their ranks.

Months before the wildfire season started, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CFAC)  had warned of diminishing numbers of both career and volunteer firefighters across the country.

With the current wildfire season projections signalling some challenging months ahead with a higher-than-normal fire activity, more resources are needed now, said Ken McMullen, CFAC president.

“There’s definitely a shortfall. There’s no doubt about it,” he told Global News in an interview.

As of June 8, 427 active wildfires were burning in Canada with 232 out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre

So far this year, 2,391 wildfires have torched 4.4 million hectares of land.

The sheer volume of fires burning in multiple provinces over an extended period of time is putting increased mental and physical strain on firefighters — the majority of whom are volunteers, said McMullen.