Fire crews from the BC Wildfire Service are now on the ground in Los Angeles (L.A.), helping to battle the blaze that has destroyed thousands of homes and claimed the lives of at least 25 people.
"The hearts of all British Columbians are with California. It is heartbreaking to watch," said Minister of Forests in B.C. Ravi Parmar to Black Press Media.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) reached out directly to the BC Wildfire Service for aid after the fires, which sparked on Jan. 7, began to burn out of control.
Minister Parmar said the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) and CAL FIRE have a strong relationship that has been cultivated over several wildfire seasons.
"BC Wildfire is a world class organization and BCWS wildfire management personnel are some of the most highly trained and experienced in Canada," said Minister Parmar, on why BCWS was specifically asked to assist.
Currently, there is a team of 12 highly trained technical specialists working as a senior management team and 22 BCWS ground crew members from across the province in L.A.
"We will be watching and are here and ready to support if they need any additional aid. We know too well the challenges of wildfires and when we needed help, California was there for us," said Minister Parmar.
West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said that he remembers exactly how it feels to live in a community ablaze, and is prepared to help California in any way possible.
"It is heartbreaking to watch the fires in L.A. We know how it smells. We know how it sounds, and we know how it feels," said Chief Brolund, in reference to the 2023 Grouse Complex that destroyed hundreds of homes and forested land in the Central Okanagan.
Brolund said that if asked, he and his crew would travel south to help and learn from the CAL FIRE teams. He said they have already taken the initial steps to be ready to deploy.
Brolund also said that he is looking to learn from from CAL FIRE crews. He said the techniques and protocols for rapid response and the new firefighting technology in use in L.A. could be implemented in B.C. communities in the future.
For example, in L.A., helicopters have been able to fly and action the blaze for 24 hours a day, something not seen north of the US border. In B.C., firefighting helicopters are grounded at night and Brolund hopes to see a change in regulation after witnessing the success of the night-vision technology in use in L.A.
Most importantly, Brolund said the fires in L.A. demonstrate an urgent need for investments of time and money to be made in fire prevention.
Over a month ago on Dec. 6, the West Kelowna Fire Rescue published its The FireSmart plan is comprised of seven recommendations the City of West Kelowna could implement in order to be a more fire resilient community.
The first recommendation in the plan is to improve public education on FireSmart principals like preparing a go-bag, and removing flammable material from around homes. The Community Resiliency plan also makes suggestions on amending and updating legislation, ensuring developments are made with forest fire safety as a priority, improving inter-agency cooperation and cross-training, emergency planning, and, investing more into vegetation management.
Fuel management, which includes controlled burns and weed removal are specific initiatives that Brolund said requires more funding.
He said that securing funding from government organizations for prevention-based wildfire mitigation initiatives is an ongoing challenge, but one that he is committed to take on.
Minister Parmar also said that while is is difficult to watch the destruction ongoing in L.A., he and his team are doing everything they can to learn from the disaster, to keep B.C. safe.
