BC Wildfire Service; Here we go again!!!

[blast420]

Well to start, how about going back to the 70's when anyone could fight a fire. Between 1972 and 1978 I was on the fire line a few times. Now days it is strictly prohibited.
Back in the day people like myself where able to action a fire when it started and remain until it was under control.
Now days they chase you away, they take control and then lose control.
White Rock Lake fire is a prime example where farmers/ ranchers/loggers were told to stand down and the wildfire service would take care of it. Great job folks.
'200 wildfires burning 1600 fire fighters hmmmm 8 fire fighters per fire WOW. I am quite sure there was a lot more burning at any given time during the season.

Have a bunch of totally untrained greenhorns running around...

I sure hope your refering to the 1600 new hires rather than loggers!!!
As loggers/road builders/ forest workers are required to have a basic fire suppression course, and renew it yearly

[Babba_not_Gump]

The good old days? Hah, you haven't been around look enough to speak about "the good old days ".
As well, contractors are always better than government employees. Not cheaper, but you're getting a far better product.

And in case you haven't noticed, we do not have a conservative government here In BC.

If companies say there is a shortage of skilled labour ad nauseum - how is it possible that the work is better? And I thought that busting unions was in order to be more productive and cheaper labour costs? Now you are saying that working within a budget is irrelevant? We all have seen that budgets, quality and productivity aren't better for the last 45 years. And from 2001-2017 most of the public services and ministries were gutted by the BC Liberals. This means a competent and skilled public staff was whittled down to a bare minimum and jobs were phased out. And that's when the contract gravy train started and year by year lowered expectations. And now......here we are. The BC Liberals were never better with the public purse - you only had to see gong shows like the Olympics, site c, BC ferries, ICBC, bridge projects 500 billion more and highway projects that had to be repaired after they were finished and started collapsing. Contractors do NOT do a better job for less. Snow removal proves this perfectly. The problem for conservatives is that people are seeing right through the on-time and on-budget crowd propaganda these days. And it's about time.

Looks like ferri beat me to it.

[bob vernon]

Every year all firefighters have to be registered. And pass a fitness test in advance of the fire season. Even those private contract crews. The province can no longer have guys showing up at a fire and just saying they "wanna fight fire". These are no longer the days of WAC Bennett when guys were rounded up from the bars and shipped out to a fire. The province learned their lesson the hard way when a few of these untrained and unfit beer guts keeled over and died and their family then sued for millions.
Ya wanna fight fires? Organize a squad, get fit, and get your S100 course out of the way and get on the Pre-org list. Otherwise you're just not ready to even be considered. Of course the Wildfire Service sends unprepared folks home from fires.

[blast420]

Well Bob I really don't want to be fighting a forest fire at this time in my life, but if one was near me and threatening me or my neighbors I would be all in.
i would how ever be willing to run the Wildfire Service.

[Babba_not_Gump]

Armchair quarterbacks.
Armchair firefighters.
Armchair snowplow operators.

Why doesn't the government hire more of these Armchair warriors?

[alanjh595]

Armchair quarterbacks.
Armchair firefighters.
Armchair snowplow operators.

Why doesn't the government hire more of these Armchair warriors?

They don't pay enough.

[blast420]

*removed*

[Queen K]

I just read this mornings article in Castanet news about the Wildfire Service recruiting. They are looking for 1600 recruits.
interestingly the same number as many previous years. Seriously???
Every year fire season comes and before we know it they are short of firefighters. No need to worry though as they will bring in more help from other provinces and other countries. The problem with that is it takes days for them to mobilize, meanwhile the fires grow more out of control. good example is the White Rock Lake fire.
It's time for change!!!
How many more people lives are going to be turned upside down or destroyed because of there inaction????
Oh sorry!! Its not there fault, It's Climate Change.
Unbelievable!!!!!

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/355985 ... mer#355985

Welp, I hope they've recruited enough people because look at what is happening near Pavilion, BC right now, it's April 19th and we have a wildfire already?

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kamloops/ ... m-Pavilion

[Fancy]

Hate the idea fire season has started this early.

[Fancy]

A recent article describes the drought:

The Kamloops area is classified as “abnormally dry” while the Penticton area is now in moderate drought conditions.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/4 ... rnon-areas

[nepal]

.
Some dry years are predictable and expected, based on ocean current cycles affecting global weather.
.
Learn to read the cycles and prepare accordingly. Hopefully the importance of ocean currents is taught in grade-school curriculum, so we can plan and not be reactionary.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb3WMIaH4EM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyPq86yM_Ic



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpUuN0jBEQs&t=27s
What North America can expect:
https://theconversation.com/what-north- ... nino-51959

[Babba_not_Gump]

And this Sunday the temperature starts returning to normal.

[XT225]

Hate the idea fire season has started this early.

I would have thought that all open burning (other than small campfires) would have been banned as of May 1st at least. Makes me wonder (since a lot of the Northern B.C. and Alberta fires have been classified as "human-caused") if that was arson or so-called Controlled large burns that got out of control. Maybe its time to re-think open burning season, period.

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/427101 ... n-Interior

[Catsumi]

As per usual, the Kamloops office will allow campfires indefinitely. Only when half the province is burnt will they finally declare campfire bans, reluctantly

Each and every year.

[Babba_not_Gump]

As per usual, the Kamloops office will allow campfires indefinitely. Only when half the province is burnt will they finally declare campfire bans, reluctantly

Each and every year.

You've got company.
https://www.castanetkamloops.net/news/K ... res#427559
TNRD directors vote unanimously to urge BCWS to ban campfires

The ministry needs to be proactive, not reactive.