A group of 25 members of the Korean Forest Service have arrived in Salmon Arm to learn wildfire investigation techniques and take advantage of the expertise of B.C.'s Wildfire Management Branch crews.

The visitors are enrolled in a two-week course called Wildland Fire Investigation: Origin and Cause Determination. Apart from their classroom studies, the students will work in the field at the site of small, controlled fires that were deliberately set and then extinguished by a local fire crew last week near Silver Creek, specifically in preparation for this course.

With the assistance of B.C. firefighters and instructors, the Korean Forest Service crews will learn to determine where the fires started, what caused them and how they spread over the course of the day. They will also be trained to collect evidence that, in the case of a real wildfire, could be used to prosecute whoever started the fire.

British Columbia's Wildfire Management Branch is a recognized global leader in fire suppression techniques. This is the third year that Korean Forest Service personnel have received training in B.C. These visits provide a valuable opportunity for international co-operation and knowledge exchange.

To report a wildfire, please call *5555 on your cellphone or 1 800 663-5555 toll-free.

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Media Contact:

Kevin Skrepnek
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Kamloops Fire Centre
250 554-5964 (office)
250 371-4538 (cell)