Don’t be alarmed if you see a cavalcade of firetrucks in your neighbourhood from May 12-14. District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services and nearly 300 firefighters from across BC will be conducting wildfire exercises in Grouse Woods, upper Lynn Valley and the Seymour area as part of the inaugural Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit.
“Residents may see fire trucks from Vancouver Island, Sunshine Coast, the Interior and other areas of Metro Vancouver moving through their neighbourhoods in groupings of up to five fire engines at a time,” says DNVFRS Fire Chief Brian Hutchinson.
The conference will focus on community wildfire resiliency and in-the-field wildland urban interface training exercises. DNVFRS, a provincial leader in wildfire response and training, is co-hosting the event, which begins on May 10 in Vancouver for three days before shifting to North Vancouver for two days of training exercises.
“This summit is an important opportunity to share experience and expertise with our partners,” says Hutchinson. “DNVFRS crews regularly train to combat wildfires, and we’re always looking to innovate and enhance our training and readiness.”
Along with being prepared to respond to wildfires, DNVFRS also works proactively to mitigate the potential impacts of forest fires by offering residents home hazard assessments with tips for keeping their homes wildfire safe and creating FireSmart communities.
While a training jamboree is great, it’s the Caribou,Okanogan, and Kootanays that burn every year. Water bombing exercises with evacuation drills and other support would really help.