Fire danger

[GordonH]

impo every available forest fighter in Western Canada should heading here now.

We have ~80 contract firefighters in camp in WK, but currently they're demobing sandbags from the flood.

While government talks about bringing in out of province firefighters.

Priorities are little screwed up, City of West Kelowna employees can deal with the sandbags along with residents.

[Hurtlander]

As far as I'm concerned anyone that shows up at the local MOF office with proper turn out gear, and proof that they've complete all the various fire suppression courses, should immediately be put to work. To hell with designated contractors called in order of where they place on the call out list.....The big fire of 2003 at Barriere could've been avoided if the MOF had of listened to the local loggers and contractors, someone wrote a book about that huge cluster

[tsayta]

As far as I'm concerned anyone that shows up at the local MOF office with proper turn out gear, and proof that they've complete all the various fire suppression courses, should immediately be put to work. To hell with designated contractors called in order of where they place on the call out list.....The big fire of 2003 at Barriere could've been avoided if the MOF had of listened to the local loggers and contractors, someone wrote a book about that huge cluster

I thought there was some kind of law that allowed authorities to press any able person into the fight if conditions warranted it

[GordonH]

Looking at whats happening & weather forecast, Justin needs to have any armed forces available to assist forest fighters. Sent to BC now, its all hands on deck

along with any equipment that will help

[Hurtlander]

As far as I'm concerned anyone that shows up at the local MOF office with proper turn out gear, and proof that they've complete all the various fire suppression courses, should immediately be put to work. To hell with designated contractors called in order of where they place on the call out list.....The big fire of 2003 at Barriere could've been avoided if the MOF had of listened to the local loggers and contractors, someone wrote a book about that huge cluster

I thought there was some kind of law that allowed authorities to press any able person into the fight if conditions warranted it

That was before the word LIABILITY became part of our regular vernacular. Back in the day I was pulled off the job lots of times to fight fires.

[Hurtlander]

As far as I'm concerned anyone that shows up at the local MOF office with proper turn out gear, and proof that they've complete all the various fire suppression courses, should immediately be put to work. To hell with designated contractors called in order of where they place on the call out list.....The big fire of 2003 at Barriere could've been avoided if the MOF had of listened to the local loggers and contractors, someone wrote a book about that huge cluster

I copied this from a FB group..

[tsayta]

Probably a dumb question, but I'm listening to the scanner and the pilots are using terminology like "whiskey bravo heading to 643". I presume 643 is the fire number for Princeton, but what is whiskey bravo? Possibly west bound?

[Glacier]

Probably WB643.

BTW, the fire danger rating is improving in our area...

By comparison, here's what it looked like two days ago...

[Wildfire 3]

Probably a dumb question, but I'm listening to the scanner and the pilots are using terminology like "whiskey bravo heading to 643". I presume 643 is the fire number for Princeton, but what is whiskey bravo? Possibly west bound?

I believe that was Whiskey Bravo ~Victor (?) - helicopter callsigns typically have 3 letters.

[WalterWhite]

Probably WB643.

BTW, the fire danger rating is improving in our area...

dr-july-8-2017.png

By comparison, here's what it looked like two days ago...

That's a rather surprising change.

[Hurtlander]

Probably a dumb question, but I'm listening to the scanner and the pilots are using terminology like "whiskey bravo heading to 643". I presume 643 is the fire number for Princeton, but what is whiskey bravo? Possibly west bound?

What you don't want to hear is the pilot calling out whiskey tango foxtrot.

[maryjane48]

hurtlander who is the minister of forests now? still the old guard ? and yes before we saw same idiocy last time we had lots fires. makem sign waiver and let em work i say. when i fought fires in northern bc pre 1990 we grab anyone in shape or not

[GenesisGT]

Probably a dumb question, but I'm listening to the scanner and the pilots are using terminology like "whiskey bravo heading to 643". I presume 643 is the fire number for Princeton, but what is whiskey bravo? Possibly west bound?

I believe that was Whiskey Bravo ~Victor (?) - helicopter callsigns typically have 3 letters.

Off topic a bit, in Canada airplanes/helicopters have five letters in their callsign, the first letter always being "C", for radio communications the four letters after the "C" are used (ex: FABC) it can be shortened to the last three letters by ATS.

[tsayta]

Probably a dumb question, but I'm listening to the scanner and the pilots are using terminology like "whiskey bravo heading to 643". I presume 643 is the fire number for Princeton, but what is whiskey bravo? Possibly west bound?

What you don't want to hear is the pilot calling out whiskey tango foxtrot.

Or hotel foxtrot sierra

[Wildfire 3]

Probably a dumb question, but I'm listening to the scanner and the pilots are using terminology like "whiskey bravo heading to 643". I presume 643 is the fire number for Princeton, but what is whiskey bravo? Possibly west bound?

Off topic a bit, in Canada airplanes/helicopters have five letters in their callsign, the first letter always being "C", for radio communications the four letters after the "C" are used (ex: FABC) it can be shortened to the last three letters by ATS.

Right, although I've never heard Wildfire Branch use the full 5.