Key facts
- Deployed firefighters
- Dan Gillard, Chad Arsenault, Wayne Johnston
- Home department
- Ladysmith Fire/Rescue Department
- Current base
- Near Kamloops, B.C.
- Requesting agency
- BC Wildfire Service
- Department size
- 28 paid on-call members; ~30 total with career staff
- Other deployed crew
- Lake Cowichan: Monroe Grobe, Tyler Hieta
Background
Three members of Ladysmith Fire/Rescue Department are in British Columbia's Interior, ready to help protect communities threatened by wildfires as another busy fire season unfolds. The firefighters — Dan Gillard, Chad Arsenault and Wayne Johnston — deployed earlier this week after the department received a request from the BC Wildfire Service for a structural protection crew.
Currently, the three Ladysmith firefighters are based near Kamloops as part of a provincial quick response task force, but according to Fire Chief Chris Geiger they could end up deployed anywhere in the province if needed. Geiger said the province has established centralized task forces so crews are already in the Interior, rather than having to travel from Vancouver Island after a wildfire escalates.
Current situation
The Ladysmith firefighters are now on standby near Kamloops, where they are training with the crews and preparing their equipment while waiting for their next assignment. The three firefighters are among 28 paid on-call members in the department, with approximately 30 personnel in total when career staff are included.
Ladysmith firefighters are no strangers to provincial wildfire deployments. Geiger said the department makes its Type 6 wildland engine available to BC Wildfire Service each spring and is called upon whenever additional resources are needed. The department responded to wildfire deployments several times last year and has been called out in previous fire seasons depending on provincial demand.
| Department | Firefighters | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Ladysmith | Dan Gillard, Chad Arsenault, Wayne Johnston | Kamloops area |
| Lake Cowichan | Monroe Grobe, Tyler Hieta | Kamloops; potentially 100 Mile House |
Impacts
Unlike BC Wildfire Service crews, which focus on containing the fire itself, municipal firefighters deployed through the structural protection program are tasked with defending homes and infrastructure. That work can include installing sprinklers around homes, removing combustible material, protecting hydro poles and patrolling roads ahead of an advancing wildfire to prevent buildings from igniting.
Geiger said helping other communities is an important part of the department's role, especially as wildfire seasons become increasingly challenging across the province. "It's going to be our turn someday," he said. "Protecting communities is what we signed up to do here in Ladysmith. By extension, doing that throughout the province when they ask for help."
He said deployments also provide firefighters with valuable real-world experience that they can bring back to Ladysmith. "It helps those communities that are in harm's way, but it also gives us the experience and training that goes along with it," he said. "When it's our turn, we've got people who have seen this before."
Future outlook
Scenario analysis: The possibilities below are not certain predictions.
Geiger added that supporting other communities now helps build the relationships that communities rely on when they need assistance themselves. "When we reach out and ask for help, we hope that everyone's going to come running. We've certainly been part of responding to that call."
Two members of the Lake Cowichan Department — Monroe Grobe and Tyler Hieta — also deployed for Kamloops earlier this week. A post on the department's Facebook page states the pair will potentially end up in 100 Mile House to support wildfire efforts there.
If the wildfire situation in the Interior escalates, the Ladysmith crew could be reassigned anywhere in the province, according to Chief Geiger. The duration of their deployment remains unclear, and further assignments may depend on provincial demand and fire activity.
Source: cowichanvalleycitizen.com
