A two-year pilot program in Saskatchewan aims to build a better understanding of the needs and requirements of First Nations in regions affected by wildfires. The federal government recently announced a program for fighting wildfires in the Prince Albert area specific to the region’s Indigenous communities. The two-year training initiative — billed as the Prince Albert Grand Council Indigenous wildfire stewards pilot program — looks to combine traditional and modern techniques for combating wildfire. At least one expert believes it will help to better mitigate devastation. “Individual communities require individual responses,” said Krystopher Chutko, an assistant geography and planning professor at the University of Saskatchewan. “What happens in (Saskatchewan) can be very different from what happens in any other community in Canada.” The program, receiving nearly $525,000 in federal funding, is scheduled to start in 2024.