Parks Canada sends wild-land fire specialists from Revelstoke to aid B.C.

On Thursday (July 8) Parks Canada deployed 23 federal wild-land fire management specialists to aid the province in managing wildfires.

The deployment is being coordinated through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) as part of a resource exchange agreement between provinces and territories. The agreement ensures collaboration and distribution of resources to where they are needed the most.

Specialists from Mount Revelstoke National Park are among those sent, as well as specialists from Kootenay, Banff, Jasper, Prince Albert, Riding Mountain, Point Pelee, La Mauricie, Bruce Peninsula, Waterton Lakes and Elk Island National Parks.

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The deployment includes seven wild-land firefighters, an incident commander, an information officer as well as experts in; operations, planning, logistics and finance. The team will be taking over the management of one of the fires in the province.

Two specialists have also been deployed to Alberta to assist with fires in that region.

“The Government of Canada is pleased to be contributing 25 of Parks Canada’s highly trained wild-land fire management specialists to assist in managing the wildfires occurring in British Columbia and Alberta,” stated Jonathan Wilkinson, the minister responsible for Parks Canada, in a news release. “The important work they will be doing will help keep communities safe.

This exchange comes shortly after B.C. provided air tankers to support Parks Canada crews with a fire in Kootenay National Park.

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