Saturday August 12, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated 11:55 am]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Firefighters who deal with structure fires in urban areas don’t normally receive training for dealing with wildland forest fires. Now the mix is coming.
Yesterday the federal government announced $400,000 in funding for a pilot project teaching urban firefighters how to deal with wildfires that encroach on communities. Over 10 percent of Canadians live in interface areas comprising 32 million hectares across the country, where urban communities intermingle with flammable environments like forests.
“Keeping Canadians safe and healthy is the first priority of the Government of Canada. By working together with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities and our international allies, we continue to fight wildfires while protecting homes, livelihoods and lives.”
West shore wildfire interface:
Here on south Vancouver Island there is forest interface in several communities including Langford (e.g. Bear Mountain, Westhills, Happy Valley) and Colwood (forests back onto Royal Roads University, for example).
In the Sooke region a forest fire alongside Highway 14 several years ago resulted in traffic blockages with significant impacts for residents, businesses and tourists. This year a fire in Otter Point (west of Sooke) at Tugwell Creek came close to impacting the urbanizing areas of the town.
Metchosin is mostly rural but definitely has “interface and intermix”, says Metchosin Fire Chief Stephanie Dunlop. “All areas of Metchosin are vulnerable to forest fire impacts,” she told Island Social Trends today.
Chief Dunlop says that Metchosin Fire currently has instructors and all members are trained in wildland interface fires, but that they would be keen to attend the instructor training in Kamloops. They would take part in the IAFF Responding to Interface program, as it comes along, says Dunlop.
$400,000 pilot:
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced from North Vancouver that $400,000 will be provided — through the first phase of the Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate – Training Fund — to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) to fund a pilot project to help build wildfire fighting capacity and enhance training best practices.
This comes as the significant 2023 wildfire season continues in many provinces and territories, with an eye to strengthening Canada’s preparedness for years to come.
Complementing the Government of Canada’s commitment to train 1,000 new wildland firefighters over five years, this pilot project will help to inform best practices and recommendations for the future delivery of wildland firefighter training in advance of phase 2 of the Training Fund set to launch next year.
Training for instructors & crew:
The IAFF’s Responding to Interface (RTI) program provides specialized training to structural firefighters, expanding their skills and capabilities. “This training will help better prepare and equip firefighters to fight wildfires, with a focus on the wildland urban interface (WUI),” it was stated in yesterday’s news release.
FireSmart Canada already offers Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) training. FireSmart Canada identifies wildland fuels (all vegetation — natural and cultivated) and built fuels (buildings and infrastructure).
As a pilot project, the IAFF will train 25 instructors on how to deliver consistent and effective wildfire response training through a Cadre Building training program in Kamloops. In addition, the IAFF will deliver 15 courses across five different locations in Western Canada, training up to 325 structural firefighting personnel on urban interface wildfire training.
Smoke and evacuations:
In our fight against wildfires, the interface is an urgent area of focus. Interface fires pose the greatest threats to lives and livelihoods and can have devastating impacts even when contained — like the spreading of thick smoke and evacuations that can cause immense stress on residents and families.
Indigenous firefighters:
This initiative also builds on important actions to date, including an announcement made by Minister Wilkinson for funding to train 300 Indigenous firefighters and 125 Indigenous fire guardians in connection with the Government of Canada’s Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate program’s Equipment Fund, which helps provinces and territories procure the equipment they need.
Use of satellites:
There is also the federal government’s long-term investment in the one-of-a-kind WildFireSat satellite mission, which will improve the ability to predict fire risk and protect Canadian communities.
Continued fire season in 2023:
Yesterday’s updated federal fire forecast indicates a continued potential for higher-than-normal fire activity across most of the country throughout the 2023 wildland fire season.
“This activity is due to long-range forecasts for warm temperatures and ongoing drought, which are affecting parts of all provinces and territories and intensifying in some regions,” it was stated.
July’s warm and dry conditions increased wildfire risk from British Columbia and Yukon through to western Labrador. During August, the area at risk will stretch from British Columbia through western Quebec.
Most of the BC fire impact has been in the interior. This year on Vancouver Island we’ve seen more impact from wildfires than in previous years, though smoke has not been an issue in the South Vancouver Island area this year as much as in the summers of 2018 and 2019.
Four wildfire firefighter deaths:
In this 2023 wildfire season there have been four deaths of firefighters out on the front lines. This is having an impact on crew personnel and is raising public awareness abut the dangers of protecting people and property against fire.
===== RELATED:
Contracted firefighter from Ontario dies in efforts against BC’s biggest wildfire (July 30, 2023)
BC welcomes 100 wildfire firefighters from Brazil (July 23, 2023)
BC Wildfire Service crew member has died (July 14, 2023)
BC FireSmart program encourages everyone’s attentiveness (July 9, 2023)
Metchosin Fire hosts extrication training event (May 29, 2023)
West shore emergency preparedness info fair (May 8, 2023)