It didn’t take long for one of Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue’s new wildfire trucks to be pressed into service.
The three trucks were added to the fleet this week, and on Wednesday one of them was called to a wildfire on the Strawberry Pass. Regional fire chief Dan Derby said it was a lightning-caused fire that grew to about 10 feet by 15 feet. Crews spent a couple of hours mopping it up.
“The feedback was [the truck] was great and it worked well,” Derby said. “Unfortunately, it seems like a summer where our wildfire risk is high again. And having this additional capacity will make a difference in our communities.
“It allows us to get better access to fires in the interface around our homes. We’re already seeing fires across the province where structural fire departments are very involved in West Kelowna and Lytton over the last two weeks. It’s tools like this that support our firefighters to do the job that they do to protect our community.”
Derby said the trucks are smaller than fire engines and are modelled after BC Wildfire trucks. They each carry a small pump, a 400-gallon tank, a hose reel, and equipment necessary for fighting wildfires and interface fires. They also have gear on board for first responder calls, which Derby said should reduce the wear on tear on their larger apparatus.
The chassis of the trucks was purchased locally through AM Ford while the skid units on the back were built on Vancouver Island, modelled on BC Wildfire Service units.
The purchase of the trucks was not without some controversy, as a couple of RDKB directors felt that two trucks ought to be enough. The total price tag for the three trucks was about $800,000, but that was offset by a grant of a little under $400,000, which helped pay for two skid units, wildfire equipment, and personal protective clothing.
Previously the fire department received $345,000 from the same grant program to buy personal protective clothing and a wildfire response trailer.
The new vehicles will be based in Rossland, Trail, and Fruitvale.
Over the past five years, the fire department has responded to 165 wildfires locally. It has also sent firefighters and equipment across the province to help other communities.
All 83 firefighters with Kootenay Boundary Fire Rescue have a minimum level of wildfire training, while 24 have received additional training as engine bosses and nine have bene trained as provincial task force leaders.
