B.C. sending more firefighters out-of-province
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – B.C. is answering a request for assistance from the Yukon, sending 31 firefighters there to help fight wildfires.
According to B.C. Wildfire, the request was made through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, responsible for coordinating sharing of firefighting personnel and resources with other jurisdictions.
B.C. just sent 21 firefighters, four fixed wing aircraft and a helicopter to Alaska under the same agreement. A further 77 B.C. firefighters sent recently to Alberta are scheduled to return Wednesday, June 24.
According to a press release today, June 23, there remains sufficient firefighting personnel and equipment within B.C. to adequately deal with its own current fire situation.
The latest deployment consists of ten three-person initial attack crews who will arrive in Whitehorse today. B.C’s regulations allow for firefighters to be sent out of province for up to 19 days, with the provision that they can recalled at any time.
To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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