Kamloops Fire Centre 2016.07.15

On July 7, 2016, firefighters from the Kamloops Fire Zone conduct-ed a high-stress first aid simula-tion. This type of exercise pre-pares firefighters for real-life first aid scenarios that may occur in the field, far from a hospital. The training started at a helicop-ter hangar near the Kamloops Air-port, where firefighters were in-structed on how to load a patient into a Bell 206 light helicopter. In the afternoon, the crews assem-bled at a nearby recreation site to practise first aid scenarios in a wilderness environment. “This type of first aid training is essential to the work we do,” said Jon Collavini, a fire protection as-

sistant in the Kamloops Fire Zone. “There is no substitute for getting out in the bush and learning to take care of patients who are far from a medical facility. The fire-fighters also get a feel for how rig-orous it can be to carry someone out of a remote environment to a vehicle-accessible area.” All BC Wildfire Service firefighters have a minimum qualification of Occupational First Aid (OFA) Lev-el 1. Most Initial Attack crews have at least one member who is OFA 3 certified. Safety on the job is a top priority and first aid is an important skill for all firefighters to have since the job can entail high-risk situations in remote lo-cations.

Fire

zone

# of fires

# of hectares

Clearwater 5 0

Kamloops 31 59

Salmon

Arm

9 2

Vernon 10 3

Penticton 13 19

Merritt 16 102

Lillooet 10 62

Initial Attack firefighters from Kamloops participate in first aid training.

WHAT IS A HECTARE?

When it comes to wildfires, size is

an important issue. The BC Wildfire

Service keeps track of how big a fire

is by the number of hectares it con-

sumed.

1 hectare (ha) is a metric unit that

equals 10,000 square metres.

1 hectare equals about 2.47 acres.

1 hectare is approximately the size

of an average public sports field.

KAMLOOPS FIRE CENTRE

WILDFIRE STATISTICS:

Since April 1, 2016 Total fires: 95

Total hectares: 246 10-year average today

Total fires: 185 Total hectares: 1,968

Kamloops Fire Centre statistics by

fire zone (since April 1, 2016)

Kamloops firefighters conduct high-stress simulation

Smokey Bear and firefighters attend

Canada Day festivities in Salmon Arm

Smokey Bear and a group of BC Wildfire Service

firefighters attended the Canada Day celebrations

in Salmon Arm on July 1, 2016. The firefighters,

members of the Rap-Attack crew based in Salmon

Arm, handed out balloons and goody bags. They

also manned an event table from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,

where children and parents got an up-close look at

some of the equipment used by firefighters.

Rachel Witt, a fire information officer with the BC

Wildfire Service, called the event a “great success.”

“The BC Wildfire Service loves getting out to public

events. It is one of the ways that we spread the

message about FireSmart and campfire safety, and

it’s a also great way for seasonal firefighters based

in a certain community to connect with local resi-

dents face to face. The kids love to meet Smokey

and the firefighters. This year, we brought out a

handheld water pump so the kids could get a feel

for what it’s like to put out fires.”

Parents and other adults also benefit from meeting

firefighters at public events like the Canada Day

celebrations. It’s an excellent opportunity to ask

questions of the firefighters tasked with protecting

local communities and learn what it takes to be-

come a firefighter. They can also discuss FireSmart

strategies to protect their homes and neighbour-

hoods.

When not putting out fires, attending events, work-

ing at their local zone bases, or training , firefight-

ers often contribute to the community where they

are based, working on projects such as trail and

recreation site building and maintenance, danger

tree removal, and fuel management work.

P A G E 2

If a campfire escapes, the person

responsible for the fire must attempt

to extinguish it if possible. They also must report the

escaped fire to 1 800 663-5555 or *5555.

Smokey Bear and several firefighters showed up for the party in Salmon Arm on Canada Day.

P A G E 3

A fire start near Lillooet was easily

contained by firefighters because

the area contain few ground fuels.

As of noon on May 15, 2016, Category 2 and Category 3 open fires were prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public. Prohibited activities include: The burning of any waste, slash or other materials (piled or unpiled) larger than one-half

metre by one-half metre. The burning of more than two open fires of any size at the same time. Stubble or grass fires of any size over any area. The use of fireworks, sky lanterns or burning barrels of any size or description. The use of binary exploding targets. This prohibition does not ban campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide (or smaller) and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. This prohibition covers all B.C. parks, Crown lands and private lands, but it does not apply with-

in the boundaries of a local government that has forest fire protection bylaws in place and is ser-

viced by a fire department.

Open Fire Bans in Kamloops Fire Centre

Fuel management areas

play key role in mitigating

two Lillooet fires.

On June 30, 2016, two wildfires ignited in areas of the Lillooet Fire Zone where fuel management work had been done. The fuel

management treatments included thinning, pruning, piling and burn-ing, as well as the use of pre-scribed fire. One area had been treated in 2013

and prescribed fire was used there

earlier this spring. The second area

was treated in 2014 but had not

been burned. The general of these

treatments was to remove forest

fuels to reduce fire hazards.

The first area (treated with thin-

ning and prescribed fire) fared

better in the face of a wildfire than

the area only treated with thin-

ning, pruning and piling. In the ar-

ea that had been burned, the wild-

fire was not able to reach the

crowns of the trees, due to thin-

ning and the treatment of fuels on

the forest floor. Because of the

fuel management work done in

these areas, the wildfires that

started on June 30th remained sur-

face fires and were contained

quickly.

Fuel management projects in-

crease community safety by reduc-

ing the intensity of any wildfires

that may occur in those areas. Not

only do communities benefit from

fuels management projects, but

wildfire habitat is also enhanced

and overall forest biodiversity and

forest health is improved.

Fire prevention is one of the top

priorities for the BC Wildfire Ser-

vice. Fuel management projects

help ensure that any future wild-

fires in a managed area will have

less fuel to burn and therefore

burn with less intensity.

P A G E 4

Fire danger ratings

What do danger class ratings actually mean? Weather has a significant impact on how wildfires start, how ag-gressively they spread and how long they burn.

The province’s danger class re-port is updated every day and is based on weather station data collected from around the prov-ince. The BC Wildfire Service op-erates about 260 weather sta-tions, which send reports on an hourly basis. These hourly weath-er observations, supplemented by data from other agency sta-tions, support fire weather fore-casting and the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS). The computer-based CFFDRS is the primary fire management de-cision aid in Canada. With it, fire managers can assess the poten-

tial for ignition, spread and burn-ing intensity. This information is used for making fire prevention, preparedness and suppression decisions, as well as other gen-eral fire management decisions. Temperature, relative humidi-ty, precipitation, wind speed and wind direction are recorded by the fully automated stations. This data is transmitted to BC Wildfire Service headquarters every hour from April through October, but less frequently and from fewer stations during the winter months. Data from other agencies’ weather stations is also used and transferred electroni-cally to headquarters. Low: Fires may start easily and spread quickly, but there will be minimal involvement of deeper fuel layers or larger fuels. Moderate: Forest fuels are dry-ing and there is an increased risk of surface fires starting. Carry out any forest activities with caution. High: Forest fuels are very dry and the fire risk is serious. New fires may start easily, burn vigor-ously, and challenge fire suppres-sion efforts. Extreme caution must be used in any forest activi-ties. Open burning and industrial activities may be restricted. Extreme: Forest fuels are ex-tremely dry and the fire risk is very serious. New fires will start easily, spread rapidly, and chal-lenge fire suppression efforts.

General forest activities may be restricted, including open burn-ing, industrial activities and campfires. Fire danger ratings are communi-cated to the public through public advisory road signs, traditional media, and social media. The BC Wildfire Service reminds the pub-lic to be careful with the use of fire at all times, regardless of the danger rating.

Kamloops Fire Centre

Statistics

Since April 1, 2016:

Fires to date: 95

Hectares burned: 246

Human-caused fires: 63

Lightning-caused fires: 31

2009 at this time:

Fires to date: 317

Hectares burned: 9030

Human-caused fires: 173

Lightning fires: 143

2003 at this time:

Fires to date: 191

Hectares burned: 296

Human-caused fires: 124

Lightning fires: 67

The purple triangles on the map

above indicate the locations of

weather stations throughout the

Kamloops Fire Centre.

P A G E 5

Precipitation

Temperature Relative Humidity

These maps are for informational purposes only and should not be used to make operational decisions.

Fire Danger Rating

These maps are current as of July 14, 2016.

For the most recent weather maps, please visit http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/

fire-danger/fire-weather

Provincial weather maps

P A G E 6

BC Wildfire service danger ratings

How does the BC Wildfire Service determine fire danger ratings?

Experts at the BC Wildfire Service use several indicators to determine the level of risk for wild-fires at any given time. This information is then conveyed to the public through social media, tra-ditional media, and public awareness tools (e.g. road signs).

The FFMC (Fine Fuel Moisture Code) is a code that measures the dryness of fine fuels (grasses, needles, etc.). A number of 85 or higher indicates a good chance of a fire start from an ignition source. Once 90 or higher is reached, all the fine fuels are available to burn.

The DMC (Duff Moisture Code) measures about 10 cm into the ground and is an indication of whether a fire that starts will continue to burn in the duff. A number of 40 or greater would indi-cate that a fire will continue to burn.

The DC is the Drought Code, measuring deeper in the ground. A number of 300 or greater indi-cates that the fire will burn deep into the ground, providing challenges to mop it up.

The Fire Danger Class is the typical fire danger rating that is seen on fire signage, where 1 and 2 represent “low”, 3 is “moderate,” 4 is “high” and 5 is “extreme”.

Want more information? Visit the website at bcwildfire.ca

Report a Wildfire *5555 on a cell or 1 800 663-5555

Wildfire Information Line 1 888 3FOREST (336-7378)

Burn Registration Line 1 888 797-1717

Kamloops Fire Centre 250 554-5500

Media and Public Line 250 554-5965

Important phone numbers