Over 200 BC firefighting personnel being deployed to fight wildfires in Alberta

May 22 2019, 3:20 am

The BC Wildfire Service is sending 267 firefighting personnel to Alberta to help with firefighting efforts, due to with the “increasing threat” of wildfires, it was announced on Tuesday.

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A total of 267 personnel will be deployed on Wednesday, May 22, and Thursday, May 23, 2019, to help where needed. This includes:

  • 235 firefighters (consisting of 10 initial attack crews and 10 unit crews)
  • Three agency representatives
  • A 19-person incident management team
  • 14 supervisors

The request for assistance was made through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, which co-ordinates the mutual sharing of firefighting resources between BC and other jurisdictions,” the BC government said. “All associated costs are covered by the jurisdiction that requested the resources.”

Even with the deployment this week, the province said that “considering the current and forecasted fire situation in British Columbia, sufficient personnel and resources remain in the province to respond appropriately to any fire activity here.”

Crews can be deployed out-of-province for up to 19 days, but can be recalled at any time.

Earlier this year, Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Oniel Carlier said protecting Albertans and their communities from the dangers of wildfires “is our highest priority, but wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility.”

Carlier also noted that “more than half our wildfires are human-caused.”

Eric ZimmerEric Zimmer

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