B.C. declares provincial state of emergency due to wildfires

[daftandbarmy]

Fingers crossed for those in Fraser Lake, and many other small (and not so small) communities in the Central Interior....


B.C. declares provincial state of emergency due to wildfires

The B.C. government has now declared a provincial state of emergency due to the wildfires burning around the province.

This state of emergency will be in place for 14 days but may be extended or rescinded as necessary.

It applies to the whole province and ensures provincial, federal and local resources can be delivered in a co-ordinated response to protect the residents of British Columbia.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4388826/b-c-declares-provincial-state-of-emergency-wildfires/?utm_source=notification/

 

[Scott]

This may be of interest: http://www.ciffc.ca/firewire/current.php

It's updated at 1500 Winnipeg time every day.

 

[AbdullahD]

I have been on a work train, working terrace to PG... burns lake to PG is pretty darn bad. Let me see if I cant figure out how to post some pictures.

Took the pictures yesterday, in the afternoon.. in the thick of it, it looked like the sun had already set and then around rose lake it cleared right off.

Lots of good chaps fighting these fires and the controlled burn they did was a success. Praying hard for all them guys. But I guess it is the natural order of things in the long run, just sad for all those losing so much.

Abdullah

Funny couldn't post pic direct had to ss it first lol

 

[daftandbarmy]

I have been on a work train, working terrace to PG... burns lake to PG is pretty darn bad. Let me see if I cant figure out how to post some pictures.

Took the pictures yesterday, in the afternoon.. in the thick of it, it looked like the sun had already set and then around rose lake it cleared right off.

Lots of good chaps fighting these fires and the controlled burn they did was a success. Praying hard for all them guys. But I guess it is the natural order of things in the long run, just sad for all those losing so much.

Abdullah

Funny couldn't post pic direct had to ss it first lol

OMFG... that's a huge fire... 

One out of over 560 so far, apparently.

 

[Retired AF Guy]

A couple photos posted today on Facebook by friends of mine in west-central Saskatchewan showing the overcast created by the fires in BC.

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Second photo. This one was taken at 1:00 PM. So bad that the outside yard light came on.

 

[AbdullahD]

Second photo. This one was taken at 1:00 PM. So bad that the outside yard light came on.

That's pretty insane but cool/scary.

Just saw shovel lake is 50,000 hectares

https://www.interior-news.com/news/shovel-lake-fire-near-burns-lake-is-the-largest-active-fire-in-b-c/

 

[Scott]

How in the fuck are they still having 80+ human caused fires?

Good luck to the troops who will be involved. It's a slog, some of the toughest work I have ever done, but it is so rewarding.

CIFFC reports don't show much help in sight, resources are stretched super thin given that Ontario and Quebec have had significant trouble already this year. And here I was thinking that BC might get the year off - deservedly.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

How in the frig are they still having 80+ human caused fires?

Good luck to the troops who will be involved. It's a slog, some of the toughest work I have ever done, but it is so rewarding.

CIFFC reports don't show much help in sight, resources are stretched super thin given that Ontario and Quebec have had significant trouble already this year. And here I was thinking that BC might get the year off - deservedly.

Nearly everyone I know has a story of witnessing some imbecile flick a lit cigarette butt from their car window. I know of crews who have been night flying and still discovered people in the backwoods partying at bonfires (pretty easy to see on NVGs).

In both cases, the Cops are eager to hand out tickets, if they can, but there is just so much stupidity...

 

[daftandbarmy]

Nearly everyone I know has a story of witnessing some imbecile flick a lit cigarette butt from their car window. I know of crews who have been night flying and still discovered people in the backwoods partying at bonfires (pretty easy to see on NVGs).

In both cases, the Cops are eager to hand out tickets, if they can, but there is just so much stupidity...

I know one of the guys who chases arsonists too, which is hard to prove but very prevalent apparently:
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/fire-bug-likely-a-thrill-seeker-or-revenge-seeker-arson-profiler-says

 

[Scott]

Oh arson is a huge problem that is not talked about much unless it becomes prolific or high value. That's my experience talking. I used to work an area where we'd be putting one out, just taking a break and cleaning up, only to see a plume from the next one kick off. This would go on for days/weeks in the spring before green up.

One lovely chap smiled at us as he walked by, on his way, likely, to set another.

Seems like the tone I am seeing through CIFFC is IA crews on the move. This might mean no relief in sight and an attempt to hit the new starts hard so they don't become campaign fires, but that's just my gut.

 

[Scott]

I wonder if the oil and gas guys have been contacted yet. I know last year they sat on their duffs. They used to deploy readily and had good success in interface fires or water sourcing operations. Nobody can move the volumes they do.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I wonder if the oil and gas guys have been contacted yet. I know last year they sat on their duffs. They used to deploy readily and had good success in interface fires or water sourcing operations. Nobody can move the volumes they do.

Which is why various regulatory agencies are biting at their heels right now

 

[Journeyman]

Friends in Kimberley BC (south of Banff) just got the 'get out of Dodge' order this morning. 

 

[Scott]

Which is why various regulatory agencies are biting at their heels right now

Oh? That's good news then.

It was tried 15 years ago to set up some sort of framework. Government(s) stalled it. The industrial guys went back to their industrial things. Dave eager wrote a pretty good piece on it last year: https://energynow.ca/2017/07/oilfield-firefighters-fiddle-b-c-burns-david-yager-yager-management/

 

[daftandbarmy]

Friends in Kimberley BC (south of Banff) just got the 'get out of Dodge' order this morning. 

That sucks.... sorry to hear it.

That's a tough area to get around in due to the geography, so they're being careful about pulling people out as soon as it looks like a fire could cut off escape routes. Last year I think they were working with a 20km radius as a rule of thumb.

'No more Ft McMurray's' is the basic principle....

 

[AbdullahD]

An article showing how bad the smoke is :S

https://globalnews.ca/news/4393740/prince-george-wildfire-smoke/?utm_medium=Facebook&utm_source=GlobalBC

 

[Rifleman62]

Possibly it is time to effect a CF task similar to the California air Guard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_Airborne_FireFighting_System

AIRBORNE FIREFIGHTING MISSION
The Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) program provides emergency capability to support the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service in fighting wildland fires. The MAFFS units are loaded onto C-130 aircraft and can drop 3,000 lbs of retardant on a wildfire in less than five seconds, fly back to its home base, and be refilled and airborne again in less than 20 minutes. This mission highlights interagency cooperation.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Possibly it is time to effect a CF task similar to the California air Guard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_Airborne_FireFighting_System

Based on this report on last years' record wildfire and flood seasons, we need to be a whole lot more strategic than that:

Addressing the New Normal: 21st Century Disaster Management in British Columbia

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/public-safety-and-emergency-services/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/embc/bc-flood-and-wildfire-review-addressing-the-new-normal-21st-century-disaster-management-in-bc-web.pdf

 

[Good2Golf]

Possibly it is time to effect a CF task similar to the California air Guard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_Airborne_FireFighting_System

Don’t underestimate the power of the commercial aerial fire fightimg lobby.  DND last water bucketed on a civilian fire in the late 80s, and on DND property in the early 90s.  It was a shared federal and pan-provincial decision that DND Air assets not be used in support of fire fighting.

:2c: