Firefighting aircraft will be visible in the skies above West Kelowna at about 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, as part of an aviation demonstration associated with the Wildland Fire Canada 2016 conference.

An airtanker will be dropping water on a forested hillside in the Smith Creek area and will also conduct a flyover of conference attendees gathered near the intersection of Highway 97 and Gellatly Road, on Westbank First Nation land. In the interest of safety, the public is asked to avoid both of these areas, particularly around the site of the 2014 Smith Creek wildfire.

The Wildland Fire Canada conference is presented every two years by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers. It provides an opportunity for representatives from fire management agencies throughout Canada to discuss current wildland fire issues, with focuses on fire management, ecology and science.

The 2016 conference takes place at Kelowna’s Delta Hotels Grand Okanagan Resort from Oct. 24-28, 2016, and is co-chaired by the BC Wildfire Service and Natural Resources Canada.

More information about the Wildland Fire Canada 2016 conference can be found at: http://www.wildlandfire2016.ca/

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