Times Chronicle - First Responder 2023

THANK YOU!

We honour and salute our emergency response teams that work so hard, fearlessly and tirelessly to keep our communities safe.

Gustav Klotz photo

Anarchist Mountain fire chief reflects on a busy summer

Don Urquhart Times Chronicle

It was a Saturday that started out pretty much like many weekends before for the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department (AMFD). The AMFD volunteers had just finished one of their regular practices up on the mountain when they started getting phone calls and noticed significant social media attention about the wildfire south of the border.

“We were actually watching this from the start,” says Urs Grob AMFD Fire Chief who notes they had a bird’s eye view of what became the Eagle Bluff wildfire from atop Anarchist. “Later on, I was down in Osoyoos and I realized it was really windy and that gave it the opportunity to jump [the Similkameen River and then the border].

He then saw fire apparatus mustering from Osoyoos, Oliver along with RDOS and BC Wildfire Service personnel and equipment and then shortly after received a call requesting mutual assistance. “They called us then around eight o’clock, and we were about six or seven departments, I didn’t see them all so I don’t know how many exactly,” he says.

“And later that night they came from as far as Salmon Arm, from the North Okanagan, Central Okanagan. I don’t know how many departments there were but there were a lot of departments down here Saturday night,” Grob says.

“The fire was going really fast because it was windy and that’s the number one driver for a fire,” he adds.

Noting that BC Wildfire was first on the scene, AMFD was deployed to an area above the golf course to do structure protection.

Grob notes that BC Wildfire had put a fire break in between the residential area and the wildfire and their job was to put out every spark and ember that came behind this line in order to ensure no fires were started past the fire guard.

The strong wind made this a challenge he said and “there was a lot of sagebrush and it goes fast, they burn pretty fast and it creates a lot of embers.”

Grob says the situation was similar to other fires they’ve experienced over the last few years, with the strong wind being a key factor with the Eagle Bluff wildfire.

He notes that because of the speed of the fire there wasn’t much time for organizing and planning, he says. “It wasn’t really a big setup Saturday night,

the fire is coming and you try just to protect the houses.”

That time crunch meant there wasn’t an opportunity for a full command setup, but the requisite plan was in place guided by a task force leader from West Kelowna. He goes on to say it was well organized but it was “a little bit chaotic because nobody really knows what’s going on that first night.”

This is not uncommon in such situations he notes, but with the several fire departments that answered the call that night (a number which grew in the following days), Grob says they were able to keep homes safe.

“It’s important to ask for this amount of resources because that’s actually

when you can attack the fire as hard as we did altogether this night. That really gives you a chance to protect the houses because 24 hours later the situation would be totally different.”

The call out for assistance was made by BC Wildfire because they have the resource lead list and fire departments who choose to be on the list can be called for assistance. Grob notes that in the South Okanagan there is a task force and mutual aid agreements, and “it’s key because as fast as you have resources on site the bigger your chances are,” in combating a fire he says.

In the case of the Eagle Bluff fire, the coordinated firefighting of BC Wildfire along with the several fire departments from the region doing structure protection meant no homes were lost despite the fire reaching within only a couple of metres of some houses.

“It’s not a good feeling, it’s a terrible feeling,” to lose a structure he says, citing personal experience from another fire. “So walking away without any loss on the Eagle Bluff wildfire, that’s great.”

The Anarchist firefighters also deployed at the Crater Creek wildfire outside of Keremeos, the Adams Lake wildfire in the Shuswap area and earlier in the spring a crew was deployed up to Fort St. John.

Grob was also Task Force Lead assigned by BC Wildfire for the Upper Park Rill Creek wildfire between Twin Lakes and Willowbrook. An AMFD spokesperson added this was “a great opportunity to support the Willowbrook Fire Department who were there for us on the first day of the Nk’mip Creek wildfire of 2021.”

continued on page 13

Courtesy Anarchist Mountain Fire Rescue Society

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“I had the night shift, so that’s normally quiet and we had good crews and we did a lot of patrols. We had a good outcome, there were some little flare ups so that kept us busy but it was good. Again he relates that the first night situation was a bit chaotic with a lot of departments and then “from the second day on, it was more organized and you get more structure in it,” he said.

This particular wildfire saw BC Wildfire deployments of fire departments from as far as Vancouver Island along with Williams Lake and Grand Forks, he noted.

When the department decides to accept a deployment the members are on site for a two week period which includes working 12-14 hour days. Grob notes that these deployments can be challenging not just because of the long

hours in harsh conditions, but for example in the case of the Adams Lake wildfire the fire camp had to be evacuated as the fire swept over it.

“One of our officers who was the Engine Boss at Adams Lake had to flee the camp immediately as the fire came in and burned the camp. They lost their tents and sleeping bags and were moved to another area, but nobody was in danger,” he adds.

And in Osoyoos at the Eagle Bluff fire, “two of our officers who were on patrol for hot spots were on scene immediately when a car accident occurred just off the highway. Our officers were also medical first responders, so they attended to those injured in the vehicles until BC Ambulance arrived,” he said.

Because of the environment in the South Okanagan which makes it a high danger area when it comes to fires, local departments face difficulty in deploying

to other areas. “We can’t really send all our crews away. We still have to protect our area,” Grob says.

In the case of Fort St. John, this occurred in the spring when it was still green here with no wildfires. “So that’s actually the main reason if you have areas that have less danger rating it’s easier to go from there and not from the local ones.

“We try normally to go to the closer ones but like the one up north there was really so many fires up there and they needed the resources.”

The fire chief says these deployments are the best way for his department to get experience because in their own area, it’s a little bit of a different story: “You always hope you don’t have a fire but it’s also a reason for training.”

For a few of his firefighters it was the first time to go on deployment and they came back saying it was a valuable

experience in which they learned a lot. “Training can do a lot, but real fire that’s just the difference.”

“I’m really happy with my department,” Grob says. “We have people that took two weeks holidays and they are passionate about what they’re doing. Really great members and … we had a crew with more experience - I don’t want to use the word older - and they stayed 14 days in a tent.”

In terms of helping out in the Cathedral Lakes, Twin Lakes and the Eagle Bluff fire near Osoyoos Grob says there’s particular satisfaction: “Especially the ones in the valley, giving aid to our neighbors and helping out and I mean as firefighters that’s actually the main driver for us is to help.

“When I’m there and I see the passion, all these different members from all over BC it’s just amazing to work together, the camaraderie is good.”

Gustav Klotz photos

Oliver Fire Department answering the call

Sebastian Kanally Times Chronicle

A fire engine and a crew of four from Oliver answered BC Wildfire Service’s call to help battle the Crater Creek wildfire in August near Keremeos.

The engine and crew were requested to provide structure protection, Rob Graham, spokesperson for the Oliver Fire Department explained. The crew helped assist properties that were threatened by the fire which was burning at 14,000 hectares at the time.

Their task was to begin firesmarting which is “clearing stuff away, combustibles away from homes into a location that if it does catch fire, it doesn’t catch a structure on fire … patrolling for hotspots. Basically anything that’s requested of them by the BC Wildfire Service.”

The requested fire engine was fully loaded with water, structure protection hoses, and a forestry hose for any fire that they may have gotten involved with.

The truck also has other equipment so that they are prepared for any other eventuality, such as a motor vehicle accident that happens in an area where they are battling the fire. “They have rescue tools on that truck to be able to assist with that type of rescue,” Graham explained.

Not only is the truck loaded with fire equipment but they also need to be able to provide for themselves.

“When we are called upon by BC Wildfire we have to go and be able to sustain ourselves on our own basically for 48 to 72 hours with equipment, tents, food and water until they can basically establish a camp.”

Salmon Arm ever grateful for the help it once received

But Graham did further clarify that given the fire’s proximity, they were just going to return to Oliver at the end of the day, but they still need to be prepared.

“We need ‘x’ apparatus, can you provide that?” Graham explained how the request comes in. Continuing to say “if we’re dealing with something in our own area, and we say no, we can’t. Then they’ll move on down their list to the next department that’s available with whatever apparatus they’re looking to acquire.”

Which firefighters end up going depends on members of the fire department volunteering and saying that they have specific time to commit to responding. Graham says that they are more inclined to volunteer if the fires are close by, but did note that they sent a truck to Fort St. John earlier this year. “So we have responded well outof-area before.”

BC wildfire sends out a list before the wildfire season begins. They ask what each department can provide if called upon. From the responses about manpower and equipment “they create what’s called the ‘drawdown’ where they will request certain equipment and manpower from departments depending on what they have available,” Graham explained.

The Oliver Fire Department wants the public to know that whenever “an engine and crew are deployed, we want to make sure residents of Oliver and our rural protection area [know] that there is no reduction in our level of service.” They continue to respond with the same level of experience and professionalism as any other time, he emphasized.

For the Salmon Arm Fire Department (SAFD) the request for assistance on the Eagle Bluff wildfire that was directly threatening Osoyoos was not a difficult decision.

The department’s Fire Chief Brad Shirley says the department puts a couple of trucks on the provincial list every year as they have done for a number of years.

“We had a fairly large wildland fire here in 1998 and it was one of the larger and the first of its type almost where we had all these different resources from across the province come in, and assist.

“We’ve always thought how wonderful that was and with any opportunities we have to help others we will.” He adds that the Salmon Arm city council is very supportive of this philosophy.

For the Eagle Bluff wildfire the department sent down a water tender and two firefighters for structure protection. “So what they were doing was running around, bringing water to different porta tanks for the sprinkler systems.

The firefighters were deployed on July 30 and returned on August 8.

Shirley says the deployments are a combination of helping gain experience, some financial contribution for the fire department and of course about helping out other communities in times of need.

“I really don’t like send recruits or green members,” he says. “What we always try to do in addition to having trucks on the provincial list we have a

list of members who are able to respond, within our own department.”

The department has four full time firefighters and nearly 70 paid on-call members that look after the fire protection needs of the city which has a population of nearly 18,000.

“So from that list, they have to be willing and able to deploy within a half an hour or an hour following a deployment request. Shirley says they then try to send a more experienced firefighter with one that hasn’t been deployed in the past.

“They always come back commenting on how much experience they did gain from the different deployments. It’s very valuable and of course the thing for us is just helping out other cities in the province because we always think one day that’s ourselves that might be in need.” This summer the massive wildfires in the Shuswap region of East Adams Lake and Bush Creek were not far off from Salmon Arm. “Yeah, we’re very close for sure and of course, we were at those fires.”

The department was deployed at two fires with apparatus (and manpower only deployed on other fires) - the Eagle Bluff fire and the Bush Creek fire in the Shuswap where they were deployed for the maximum 14 day period with 14 hour days, “nothing less than 12 hour days,” he adds.

“Our members were working that many days and that many hours and then of course sleeping in a camp on the ground, and one of our members when the fire came through, actually lost his tent,” the fire chief related.

We recognize & thank all of the emergency response teams, including fire fighters, forestry service personnel, RCMP and countless other groups & individuals working to keep our communities safe during the wildfire season.

Don Urquhart Times Chronicle

Oliver Fire Department’s assistance to Eagle Bluff

Sebastian Kanally Times Chronicle

The Oliver Fire Department (OFD) mobilized and sent two trucks to help battle the Eagle Bluff wildfire that came dangerously close to Osoyoos this summer. One truck was a water tender and the other was a fire engine resulting in a total of six firefighters from the department being sent out.

Rob Graham, spokesperson for the OFD explained that the request for their assistance was paged out through a regional task force that was established earlier in the fire season, this task force included Willowbrook, OK Falls, Kaledon, and Naramata.

The creation of this task force was requested by BC Wildfire, Graham explained.

“During wildfire season BC Wildfire asked if we would create a task force, because they were so busy in other areas of town that they wouldn’t be able to respond as quickly. They asked local fire departments to kind of be the initial response.

“So that’s what our water tender was initially involved with and then got retasked to assist with the tactical evacuations and FireSmarting up in the neighborhood around the golf course in Osoyoos. And then the same thing with the engine just doing that type of tactical evacuation and helping with setting up any wet guards and assisting BC Wildfire.”

Graham, who was on the water tender himself explained that this fire was extraordinary, “the winds that were blowing that night were pushing that fire quite quickly. And just to see a dramatic shift in those winds from blowing from south to north and then within a couple of hours, all of a sudden changing and actually blowing back north to south, kind of pushing itself back on itself, that’s quite incredible to see.”

The mobilization in response to the wildfire happened fast, he says. “It’s an incredible task. Within hours of that fire kicking off and then moving across the border into Osoyoos’ territory, to see fire departments that come up and down the valley and basically, dozens of trucks in every neighborhood along that hillside ready to protect people’s property.

“We go out and respond to people’s emergencies that we don’t even know these people, and we’re willing to go out there and risk, you know, life and limb to protect basically our backyard as well.”

Graham further explained that it is a unique task to offer assistance and send crews and equipment to help out with the raging wildfires, but also be conscious of the duty to protect Oliver.

“It’s a matter of getting some manpower and making sure that we have manpower to be able to go and assist and making sure that we don’t leave our town unprotected. Thankfully, we have lots of members in the department that are willing to put in that time and even to give up, going out and staying in town to make sure that if anything kicks off in our area that we can still respond.”

Fighting wildfires comes with challenges, not only fighting the actual fire itself, but it comes with mental challenges and stressors as well.

“The biggest challenge, I think, for a lot of firefighters is when you go to evacuate people and maybe they don’t understand or they don’t want to leave their belongings behind. And you get some people that are just like, ‘I’m not going I don’t want to go’.

“That becomes the biggest stressor for everybody because now not only do you have to worry about this fire, but you also have to worry about these people that

have decided to stay behind and you’ve got to worry about their life as well, rather than them leaving.”

“The fact that so many departments were able to come together so quickly up and down the valley, in West Kelowna and Kelowna. Seeing so many departments that deployed so quickly to try and prevent as much loss as they could.

“It becomes very disheartening to a lot of firefighters and emergency responders when you’re trying to do the best you can and you’ve lost a building and then you’ve lost another building and you’re trying to do the best you can.”

Further noting that this can weigh heavily on the minds of first responders and even lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The Oliver Fire Department and the Osoyoos Fire department have had a great relationship working together in the past and the Eagle Bluff wildfire was no different, Graham commented.

“We have called on them many times to come down and assist with mutual aid calls for structure fires to the high school fire to our various wildfires that we’ve had. We have that mutual aid agreement and that partnership where we can call on each other and we’ll be willing to go and help and they’ll be able to come help us so we try to keep that relationship strong.”

Don Urquhart photo

US firefighters reflect on unique cross border experience

The Ventana Interagency Hotshot Crew came from the United States to help in the battle with the Eagle Bluff Wildfire, and they commented on how phenomenal it was to work with the Canadian Crews.

Harold Cook, Ventana Interagency Hotshot Crew Superintendent said that battling the Eagle Bluff incident didn’t seem much different than an “Initial Attack” incident in the US.

“I looked at it as cooperating jurisdictions and not two different countries. The unique piece was having a border you weren’t supposed to cross, but a containment line ran across the border. It gave new meaning to the adage ‘Wildfire knows no boundary.’”

And just as wildfire knows no boundary, neither does the wildfire response as Cook explained that the

response wasn’t much different from what takes place across the border.

“Eagle Bluff wildfire response was very similar to what we do in the states when using defense techniques on a rapidly growing incident in the Wildland Urban Interface.” Due to the limited number of resources for suppression actions a PACE model is used which stands for: Primary, Alterative, Contingency and Emergency targets.

These are established utilizing significant terrain features to limit spread and exposure. The largest considerations are always public and firefighter safety followed by property.

One difference he observed is how the Canadian structure defense groups operate. Unlike in the United States, they operate separately from the wildland divisions and are solely focused on protecting homes and buildings.

“They ordered their own resources and operated independently. It allowed my crew to focus primar-

ily on control and contain measures. Then, when it came time to intermix with them, they folded into the plan seamlessly and were fully prepared to support incident objectives. It was phenomenal to work with them.”

Although the response coordination was similar, Cook did underscore that this was unique and not something that they experience everyday.

The Eagle Bluff incident was in “Initial Attack” phase when we arrived. If I remember correctly, it had crossed the border into Canada the night we arrived in Kamloops, British Columbia.

“The incident was still evolving, and most other resources were focused on structure defense. Coordinating across international boundaries was unique. That’s not something we experience every day. We were able to eventually get in contact with a Division Group Supervisor and assist in linking the plans together.”

Sebastian Kanally Times Chronicle

Photo courtesy of USDA Forest Service

Osoyoos blessed to have firefighters it has: Fire chief

Don Urquhart Times Chronicle

Osoyoos Fire Rescue Chief Corey Kortmeyer said he has never in his entire career seen a fire move so fast as the Eagle Bluff wildfire did on the night of Saturday, July 29.

Powered by strong south winds the wildfire, which had started in the US, jumped the Similkameen River, blew past the border and very quickly was threatening properties in the Dividend Ridge subdivision in Osoyoos.

“The fire came hot and quick,” he

says. “I’ve never seen fire activity go that quickly, and all the while not one stitch of property was damaged. Between us and the other resources it was a highly successful night with a potential that it could’ve been not a successful night.”

The firefighters had barely two hours to prepare and get set up on site. They had just finished getting equipment in place when the fire line raced over the crest of the hill.

“We did not have the ability to lay hose in preparation, or create lines for structural protection, simply because

the fire travelled something in the order of 5 km/hour in the last hour and a half or two hours.”

The last report that they had that night was that the wind-driven fire was displaying Rank 5 and Rank 6 behaviour and “that’s basically as high as it can go.”

It came “hot and quick” he says. “We used streams and our bump and run tactic to be able to prioritize and put the fire out.”

There were a couple of moments where Kortmeyer and his deputies had to remind their crew “to keep their head

on a swivel and remember their laces,” he said.

With the safety of the firefighters paramount, Kortmeyer says they always have anchor points, communication, and in this case, escape routes that were planned in advance.

“We wanted to be able to make sure that no one was going to get hurt or injured or loss of life,” he said.

Kortmeyer has high praise for his department’s paid on call volunteer firefighters. “I can’t say this enough, I am blessed with the firefighters that we have.”

Courtesy Osoyoos Fire Rescue

Honouring fallen firefighters across Canada

Don Urquhart Times Chronicle

Fallen firefighters were honoured across the country on Sunday, Sept 10 as flags at BC’s legislature flew at half mast in honour of Firefighters’ National Memorial Day.

In a statement, BC Premier David Eby paid tribute to firefighters who lost their lives working to save lives and property, including two young wildfire fighters in BC this summer.

“Today, as wildfires continue to burn in our province and country, I offer my deep appreciation and admiration for the firefighters who have lost their lives in brave service to others.

“This summer, we lost two young firefighters in BC, Devyn Gale and Zak Muise, who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting people and communities from wildfires. Words are not strong enough to capture our debt to these heroes or the loss to their families and communities. We will not forget them,” Eby said. The memorial day comes one day after the 20th anniversary of 9-11, where 344 firefighters answered the call but did not return home.

Firefighters from around the world came to support BC’s wildfire battle this summer during the worst wildfire season on record. “It’s a powerful reminder that a global effort is needed to fight

climate change and protect communities from climate-related disasters,” the premier said.

“For all this, we owe firefighters more than our thanks,” Eby said adding that

is why the province expanded presumptive cancer and mental-health coverage for BC’s firefighters.

“And it’s why we’ll continue working to ensure they have the supports they need to do their work in safety, good health and dignity.”

He noted that the appreciation British Columbians feel for firefighters was exemplified by a woman he met when visiting the wildfire-affected areas.

“She had lost her home in the fire and was devastated, yet all she wanted to do was find the chief of the West Kelowna fire department, give him a hug and thank him for saving her and her family.

“Today, as hundreds of firefighters continue to battle wildfires in British Columbia, we offer our gratitude to every firefighter and honour our fallen heroes.”

Once again this year, retired Anarchist Mountain Fire Department (AMFD) Deputy Fire Chief and former Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation LODD Chairman Wayne Jasper was in Ottawa representing AMFD at this year’s ceremony to honour, remember and support Canada’s fallen firefighters and their families.

Zak Muise (left) , 25, is pictured wearing a Bigcat Wildfire uniform in this image posted by the company on social media. Muise died working on the nearly 6,000-square-kilometre Donnie Creek wildfire in northeast BC when he was killed after his ATV rolled over on July 28. Bigcat Wildfire/Facebook Devyn Gale (right), 19 is pictured in her BC Wildfire Service initial attack crew uniform. Gale died on July 13 after being struck by a falling tree while fighting an out-of-control wildfire near Revelstoke. BC Wildfire Service