Third wave of BC firefighters dispatched to Ontario
By Contributor
An additional 134 B.C. wildfire management personnel are heading to Ontario to assist with firefighting efforts.
Five 20-person unit crews, one Type 1 incident management team, five division supervisors and two agency representatives will depart for Thunder Bay and Dryden tomorrow, bringing the total deployment up to 361 people since Tuesday.
Crews will be in Ontario for up to 19 days, but can be recalled at any time if B.C.’s wildfire situation changes. Sufficient personnel have been retained to manage current firefighting needs.
Personnel are being deployed through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre that allows for mutual resource sharing between B.C. and other jurisdictions. All associated costs will be covered by the Government of Ontario.
Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, said, “While the cooler, wet weather has largely been keeping wildfires at bay so far this summer in B.C., it’s not the case for other provinces. We are happy to offer our resources and expertise when possible.”
Quick Facts:
* When wildfires burn for extended periods, or when complex fires occur, incident management teams are called in to assume their overall management.
* Unit crews are highly mobile and typically deployed to larger fires. They establish pump and hose lines, dig fire guards and remove fuel from a wildfire’s path using back burns.
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