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Canada  

Fort Mac fire lessons

A report on lessons learned from the Fort McMurray wildfire recommends improved prevention along with better disaster management and evacuation planning.

The KPMG review was commissioned by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo following the fire in May 2016 that forced about 88,000 people to flee the area in northeastern Alberta.

The report says the municipality did a good job protecting people's safety and noted that nobody died as a direct result of the wildfire.

But it suggests key emergency leaders should take more training, pass on their knowledge to staff and use a command system to better co-ordinate how a disaster is managed.

The report says in the years leading up to the fire very little was spent on wildfire prevention programs, but since the disaster Alberta and the Red Cross have pledged $14 million for FireSmart mitigation efforts.

Mayor Melissa Blake says the municipality accepts all of the recommendations.

"We are committed to continuous learning and improvement," Blake said Thursday.

"We welcome the recommendations within this report, and are committed to their implementation, while building a stronger, and more resilient region."



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