As wildfire season becomes imminent, preparations and training has been underway locally to help keep our communities safe.
Captain Brent Dawe of the Thornhill Fire Department says the department has been working with the BC Wildfire Service as well as in conjunction with the Terrace Fire Department to train and prepare. He says one of the key defenses available in our area is static water sources.
“So, some information that a lot of community members don’t understand, is there is a lot of static water that we have stationed all around our regional district and in our response area. So if a hydrant ends up not having the capabilities to keep up with the work that we’re doing, we can pull from multiple water sources, whether that’s a lake, a creek, even the static sources that we have buried underground that are 10,000 gallons each. So there’s multiple stations for us to do that.”
Captain Dawe says conditions are looking dry this season.
“You know, we’re just going off of our basic knowledge that we’ve seen, that the drier conditions are starting earlier on in the season. And just from what we have seen is the fine fuels that are on that forest floor, they’re just more receptive to that spark. So as soon as that first ignition is happening, the fires are just moving that much more quickly. So when you are going out there, and camping is going to be starting, in the backyard, you know, little pit fires and that sort of stuff. Just be cautious of that, be fire aware at all times and know that the dry conditions are here.”
Dawe also said the department is always looking for suitable recruits.
“Recruiting went actually fairly well. We did get four through the door. That being said, we’re still recruiting nonstop, so we, I think we will be opening up another one here. Come very shortly. The more members we can have, the better it is at the end of the day. So we’re holding strong now. But could always use some more.”
Anyone interested in joining should contact the Thornhill Fire Department.