Forests
VICTORIA - The Province is sending fire-fighting resources to Boise, Idaho and Missoula, Montana.
Two airtankers, one birddog, and one air attack officer left for Boise, Idaho yesterday to assist local crews in their fire-fighting efforts. They are expected to help combat a number of fires that are currently burning in the state.
Twenty Parattack personnel and one agency representative will be leaving for Missoula, Montana today. Lightning is common in the area and the state is preparing for an expected increase in new starts.
Both requests were co-ordinated through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fighting Centre, and the receiving jurisdictions will be covering the costs of the deployment. The Mutual Aid Agreement sets out the terms under which resources can be legally shared, how resources will be made available, what costs will be involved, and the conditions for their return.
Crews will be out-of-province for up to 19 days, but can be recalled at any time if B.C.'s wildfire situation changes. Sufficient personnel have been retained to manage current firefighting needs.
Quick Facts:
- Agency representatives act as the link between the deployed crews and the Wildfire Management Branch.
- Air attack officers are trained how to fight wildfire from the air.
- Parattack crews are highly mobile resources that use parachutes to access a fire and are used to assist in initial attack efforts.
Learn More:
For the latest information on fire activity, conditions and prohibitions in B.C., visit the Wildfire Management Branch website at: www.bcforestfireinfo.gov.bc.ca
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:
Fionna Tollovsen
Provincial Fire Information Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 312-3051
