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HomeNewsNorthwest Fire Centre sends help out East

Northwest Fire Centre sends help out East

Photo Courtesy: Taylor Chartrand

Members of the Northwest Fire Centre (NWFC) have been deployed to Ontario and Quebec to assist in the firefighting efforts out East.

The BC Wildfire Services announced they would send nearly 200 firefighters to help the cause, 24 of which were from right here in the region.

NWFC Information Officer Carolyn Bartos says they have dispatched:

  • 1 initial attack crew consisting of 3 people,
  • 1 unit crew consisting of 20 people,
  • and 1 agency representative.

Initial attack firefighters operate as part of a three-person crew and are usually the first people on the scene of a new wildfire. Once there, the initial attack crew works quickly to set up water pumps, remove fuel from the fire’s path and dig fireguards to help control or extinguish the blaze.

A 20-person sustained action unit crew typically works on large fires and can remain self-sufficient in the field for up to 72 hours at a time. Crew members receive extensive training and are knowledgeable about wildfire behavior, fire management tactics and fireline equipment use.

The agency representative acts as a link between deployed crews and the BC Wildfire Service.

The lending of firefighters during wildfire season isn’t an uncommon practice.

Currently, Provinces such as Alberta, BC, and even Nova Scotia have deployed emergency responders to Ontario and Quebec.

Last year, both of those Eastern Provinces repaid the favor, as they sent services out West to help with one of the more devastating wildfire seasons in recent BC memory.

Bartos finished by saying although the NWFC did send crews out East, they are more than capable of handling any issues that could arise in the coming days.

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