British Columbia is deploying an additional group of firefighters and specialists to Northern Alberta as fire activity continues to challenge crews.

Nine 20-person unit crews, two ignition specialists, 19 division supervisors, five radio operators and one agency representative will be leaving for Alberta today. The crews will be temporarily based in Hinton, where they will be debriefed by Alberta officials, and then assigned to specific fires.

Together with the deployments earlier this week, there are now 546 of B.C.'s wildfire management personnel in Alberta - the largest single deployment of B.C.'s resources to another province.

Costs for a deployment will be covered by the Alberta government under the Mutual Aid Resources Sharing Agreement, which allows for the movement of firefighting resources across Canada. Sufficient crews will remain in B.C. over the long weekend should fire activity increase. The Wildfire Management Branch always maintains adequate firefighting capacity to respond to current conditions. Deployed personnel can be recalled at any time.

Quote:

Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations -

"British Columbia is able to help out Alberta at this time, since the fire danger rating in B.C. remains low to moderate, but with weather warming up over the weekend, I urge everyone to use caution when enjoying the woods."

Quick Facts:

* B.C. has 29 highly trained unit crews, which are typically deployed to larger fires. Unit crews are highly mobile. They establish pump and hose lines, dig fire guards and remove fuel from a wildfire's path using back burns.

* Ignition specialists strategically plan and co-ordinate burn-offs and back fires to fight and control wildfire.

* Divisional supervisors supervise crews and equipment.

* Radio operators monitor and log radio traffic on incidents.

Learn More:

B.C.'s Wildfire Management Branch is internationally recognized for its expertise, highly-trained personnel and innovative use of technology. Learn more about the province's team at: http://bcwildfire.ca/AboutUs/

You can also follow the latest B.C. wildfire news -

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo

On Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Contact:

Provincial Fire Information Officer

Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations

250 312-3051

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect