COURTENAY -- The minister in charge of BC's Forests says while it's unclear what the upcoming wildfire season will be like, our province is ready for it.
Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Doug Donaldson spoke with media Thursday on a conference call to talk about the upcoming season, especially given the new COVID-19 reality.
"We have the funding, the expertise, the equipment and the people to deal with whatever is in store," said Donaldson.
The minister, along with a representative of the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), says new protocols have been introduced and extra precautions are being taken to keep crews safe.
BCWS superintendent of communications and engagement Jody Lucius says new sanitation protocols are now in place for staff travelling in vehicles, helicopters and planes. Staff will all be equipped with non-medical masks and changes have been made to the operation of fire-camps.
Lucius also says 'five-person crew camp kits' are being introduced which will allow on-scene firefighters the ability to stay at remote locations for longer periods of time eliminating the need to go to larger fire-camps.
She adds that the BCWS has also moved away from multi-person tents for firefighters to stay in.
"I'm confident that with these measures in place, the more than 1,700 BC Wildfire Service firefighters and support staff in place for the 2020 fire season will be able to operate safely during this pandemic," said Donaldson.
The minister says there will also be more money and resources available for this season.
He says this year's provincial budget allocated $136 million for direct fire costs, an increase of $35 million from the previous year's budget.
"That is recognition of historical firefighting costs to allow for more response capacity, community engagement and communications resources to help communities be better prepared for wildfires."
Much of that will be used by increased resources in the air. He says the province's long-term contracted air tanker fleet will this year consist of 20 tankers including those that can scoop water up from lakes or other water bodies and eight bird-dog aircraft.
"So, with these additional supports on the air tanker front we can deliver 15 per cent more fire retardant capacity than last year and 150 per cent more skimmer capacity."
But, the minister says the best defence against wildfires is through increased care by the public.
"In light of the COVID-19 pandemic we must take extra precautions to minimize the number of human-caused fires. These types of fires are entirely preventable and divert valuable firefighting resources from naturally occurring fires," Donaldson said.
