'Co-ordinated effort': Ottawa and Alberta help each other with massive firefights

The Jasper wildfire has started a new conversation around Canada's large-scale catastrophe readiness, and the way limited resources are dispersed in case of emergency.

Provincial help is currently being provided in the Jasper area, which is federal and municipal responsibility.

Premier Danielle Smith told reporters Thursday that Alberta Wildfire was prepared to jump in when asked.

"The ultimate decision on who to bring resources in at the moment is with Parks Canada in unified command with the municipality of Jasper," she said.

"We can't just send equipment into federal airspace without co-ordination."

But elsewhere in the province, Smith's government has put in a request for aid in areas within its jurisdiction.

The Canadian Armed Forces have already supplied equipment during an especially dangerous week.

The feds say once the areas are safe, there will have to be a serious conversation about firefighting strategy.

"This is something that we're going to be working with the provinces on," Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said.

"We need to make sure that the right resources are put into the right place."

Smith appears to agree.

"It may well be that we have to talk about how we have integrated unified command right from the beginning," she said.

"If we're going to see a Parks agency go to unified command with the municipality, it could well be that we make the decision that we come in at that time."

But some experts think the complicated co-ordination may need a rethink.

"This is a Canadian issue," author John Vaillant said.

"Climate change and meaningful responses to it have been in short supply on either side of the political aisle."

In total, 176 wildfires were burning in Alberta as of Thursday.