The calm before the storm is over and wildfire season is now officially in full swing for the Okanagan.
Over 200 B.C. wildfire fighters that were lending a hand in Ontario and Quebec have now been recalled to the province, the majority of whom will soon be deployed in the Okanagan.
“B.C. wildfire teams were sent to help out east while Ontario and Quebec experienced high levels of fire activity,” said Karla Karcioglu of BC Wildfire Service.
“With such a sudden uptick in our own province, especially the Okanagan, we will now be recalling those crews within the next few days.”
Members of both Initial Attack Crews and Unit Crews, both considered Type 1 wildfire crews, are among the 200 highly trained wildfire fighters being recalled to B.C.
Initial Attack Crews are three-person teams that are first on the scene of a wildfire who set up water pumps, clear potential fuel sources and dig fire guards.
Unit Crews are 20-person teams that work on larger fires and can remain self-sufficient for up to three days.
Upon returning to B.C., crews have to go through a “re-set” period of rest, then will be deployed to the front lines.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFC) manages wildfire crews across the country, allowing provinces and territories to help each other out during the wildfire season.
In 2017, during B.C.’s worst wildfire season on record, wildfire crews from almost every province and territory joined crews from the United States, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand in battling B.C.’s blazes.
