Fire Suppression

Under Direct Fire Fighting, the ministry endeavors to minimize the damage from wildfires on forest and range lands, and in the urban/wildland-interface zone. The Fire Preparedness sub-program supplies initial attack crews (e.g., provincial rapattack, regional helitack and district firetack), unit crews, air tankers and helicopters.

Direct Fire Fighting

Sub-program

Forest Service staff under this program work to protect the forest and range resources, and to protect life, property and other natural resource values from damage by wildfire. Their goals include limiting the area burned to 35,000 hectares and the amount of timber lost to 1.4 million cubic metres annually. The sub-program expects to maintain these goals in spite of an increasing number of fires.

The Direct Fire Fighting sub-vote funds direct fireline expenditures, including fire fighters’ wages, equipment rentals, aircraft hiring, suppression supplies, standby, overtime and site rehabilitation.

1993/94 Progress

The 1993/94 fires burned 4,709 hectares, well below the 54,689-hectare 10-year average. (Table E-3) The volume of timber lost was slightly more than one million cubic metres. (Table E-4)

The season’s fire fighting efforts cost $25.2 million. (Table H-1)

The 1993/94 fire season in brief

The quieter fire season allowed the Forest Service to assist other jurisdictions with their fire fighting efforts as part of the Canadian Mutual Resource Sharing Agreement through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in Winnipeg. Fire fighters and equipment were sent to the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Saskatchewan.

On a national-comparison basis, British Columbia had 25 per cent of Canada’s total wildfires, but lost only 2 per cent of the area and spent only 18 per cent of the nation’s fire fighting funds.

Forecasts

Sub-program

Wildfire suppression

The main goals of the sub-program staff are to maintain the ministry’s fire fighting resources in a state of readiness. This includes training fire fighters, refurbishing equipment, making aircraft available and developing and maintaining computer systems.

The sub-program has been designed to:

• protect the forest and range resources from damage by wildfire
• protect life, property and other natural resource values from wildfire
• provide aviation services to wildfire suppression and other ministry programs.

Fire management

Fire management activities range from wildfire prevention to smoke management, to the use of prescribed fire in ecosystem management. Forest, range and wildlife managers acknowledge that fire has a place in ecosystem management, and fire is used as a land and resource management tool. Prescribed fire is used to:

• support silviculture site treatments, allowing the growth of healthy forests
• create better habitat for wildlife and domestic range animals
• reduce the likelihood of wildfire damage by removing surface fuels in mature forests and from around forested homes.

1993/94 Progress

The first class of Forest Service Native Fire Prevention Technicians graduated in May, following an intensive 16-week training program. The training at the First Nations Tribal Justice Institute in Mission involved an orientation to the Forest Service, fire behavior and fire weather, forest fire prevention regulations and enforcement, communication skills, safe driving, first aid, wilderness survival, computers, the Forest Act, fire planning and management, and wildland/urban-interface issues. Twelve of the technicians were placed in Forest Service district offices to:

• enforce the forest fire prevention regulations
• administer burning permits
• monitor slash burns
• conduct risk and interface hazard assessments
• provide community liaison for Forest Service fire prevention programs.

Fire management

The fire management section provides organizational support for fire management, wildfire prevention, wildfire preparedness and wildfire suppression. During 1993/94, section staff:

• issued radio and print advertisements for fire prevention
• updated and enhanced the provincial fire-weather network that is the foundation for aggressive prevention and suppression activities
• introduced a new and improved physical fitness standard and testing for wildland fire fighters. Fire fighters will be given one year to prepare for the new standards, which will be mandatory for the 1994 fire season. The revised fitness standard will ensure the continued safety and health of our employees. The ministry’s fitness standard is the most modern in Canada, and its fitness testing is task-specific and gender neutral.
• held an interface simulation in Stanley Park in May 1993, involving the Vancouver Parks Department, the Vancouver Fire Department, the Vancouver City Police, the Ministry of Forests’ Protection Program, the B.C. Ambulance Service and the Provincial Emergency Program.

The aviation management section provides aerial services, facilities and aviation support for wildfire suppression and all other Forest Service programs. During 1993/94, pilots flew 23,715 hours for all programs (9,903 hours for wildfire suppression and 13,812 hours for other programs).

Major capital works completed in 1993/94 included the installation of improved fire retardant capture systems at the Puntzi, Kamloops, Williams Lake and Castlegar air tanker bases. These improved systems allow crews to recycle and reuse retardant washed off the aircraft, as well as other residual retardant.

Fire management analysis and development

Staff in this section provide technical support for the fire management computer systems. They also provide support for prescribed-fire use in forest management, and user support for all protection systems. During 1993/94, fire management analysis and development staff developed and maintained computer systems for:

• advanced fire management – to assist fire managers in day-to-day decision-making
• fire weather – to monitor weather conditions
• lightning location – to locate and record lightning strikes in real time.

• weather modeling
• monitoring smoke production and dispersal from prescribed burns
• the use of artificial intelligence in fire preparation decision-making
• other computer-based systems and models for effective fire management.

Training

The training section provides technical support for the Fire Suppression Sub-program. During 1993/94, section staff:

• produced the Fireline Safe Work Practices Field Guide
• released two new suppression-series courses:
  • S-270: Helicopter Use and Safety
  • S-271: Helipad Construction
• produced the Fireline Certification Handbook
• revised and improved fireline certification software
• produced brochures and other training aids.

The B.C. Forest Service is recognized as a world leader in fire control and suppression, and international development staff continue to market our technology to foreign fire fighting agencies. During 1993/94, protection program international activity expanded through increased visits from foreign agencies. Ecuador, Spain, Chile, New Zealand and Australia all participated in projects involving British Columbia.

Major international interest continued from Mexico, and contract training of Mexican fire crews was ongoing in Mexico and B.C.

Forecasts