2024 Wildfire Season

[medicineman]

St. John Ambulance Canada,

Medical First Response Services​

St. John Ambulance Canada - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

​

Assuming the agencies they already work for will let them take time off - as an ex SJA Division Superintendent in a military town, I always worried about how something like this would shape our response when half my volunteers, myself included, could potentially be deployed somewhere in a different uniform. Also, not every division has a lot of RN's or Paramedics or Physicians (some barely any), who, again, depending on the circumstances, may not be released to assist - in that Division we had one RN and me as a military Med Tech...our medical director, read MD, was 200km away and at an Area HQ level.

From an OP LENTUS perspective, when we had floods around Portage la Prairie a few years back, when I was then in the P Res, I still had to do my normal day job everyday and THEN go help with my Reserve unit after work, since towns still need their own medical folks to do their medical jobs in their town...

 

[kratz]

Assuming the agencies they already work for will let them take time off - as an ex SJA Division Superintendent in a military town, I always worried about how something like this would shape our response when half my volunteers, myself included, could potentially be deployed somewhere in a different uniform.

For my research study, I have had to take this issue into consideration as well. The difficult part is that a large portion of volunteers with these NGOs are also employed in first responder roles. The challenge is how to attract more Canadians who are not already volunteering.

 

[daftandbarmy]

For my research study, I have had to take this issue into consideration as well. The difficult part is that a large portion of volunteers with these NGOs are also employed in first responder roles. The challenge is how to attract more Canadians who are not already volunteering.

Maybe we need to get good at asking them...

The Decline In Volunteering Is Driving Increased Division​

​

Despite its benefits, both to communities and individual volunteers, people are volunteering less. Formal volunteering is down seven percentage points, reaching the lowest rate in nearly three decades, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps.

This needs to be a sounding alarm to everyone, not just nonprofits. Volunteers are the backbone of democracy and civil society. Without the belief that we can make a difference, strengthen our communities and solve society's toughest issues, what do we have to work toward and inspire us?

• The number one reason people volunteer is because they’re asked. If you are a nonprofit or managing volunteers, ask them to invite a friend. If you’re a company hosting an employee volunteer event, ensure that you’re having peer-to-peer invitations happen throughout the company.

Council Post: The Decline In Volunteering Is Driving Increased Division

This needs to be a sounding alarm to everyone, not just nonprofits.

www.forbes.com

 

[daftandbarmy]

Only an alert not am Evac order yet

And, right now, this is all it takes to get a big fire going up there ....

Wildfire that triggered evacuation of Fort Nelson, B.C. caused by downed tree: mayor​

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The northeastern British Columbia municipality where thousands have evacuated due to a fast-growing wildfire nearby urged all remaining residents to leave immediately Saturday despite improving weather conditions.

Fraser said the Parke Lake fire is one of three major wildfire near Fort Nelson, and what surprised residents was the "very dark" smoke rising from a close distance to the town, prompting the evacuation order.

The wildfire has also knocked out 911 service and disrupted telecommunications in Yukon and Northern B.C., with officials in the territory asking Whitehorse residents needing help to go directly to the local RCMP detachment, fire halls or ambulances stationed throughout the city.

Fraser said the fire was started by a tree blown down by strong winds falling onto a power line.

Wildfire that triggered evacuation of Fort Nelson, B.C. caused by downed tree: mayor

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The northeastern British Columbia municipality where thousands have evacuated due to a fast-growing wildfire nearby urged all remaining residents to leave immediately Saturday despite improving weather conditions.

www.timescolonist.com

 

[Jarnhamar]

Instead of evacuating every summer why not teach everyone how to fight forest fires then pay them to get to work.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Instead of evacuating every summer why not teach everyone how to fight forest fires then pay them to get to work.

It seems they're working on just that...

Province takes early action to prepare for wildfire, drought season​

Stemming from the ongoing work of the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies, the Province has enhanced wildfire preparedness and support for evacuees across B.C. This work includes incorporating advanced wildfire predictive technologies, expanding the number of firefighting tools available to BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) crews and streamlining training for Emergency Support Services (ESS) responders. Additionally, the Province has strengthened the BCWS hiring process by creating pathways for participation in wildfire response, specifically for applicants in rural and remote communities. This has resulted in more than 1,700 applications, which is double the number of applications received in 2023.

Province takes early action to prepare for wildfire, drought season | BC Gov News

The Province is taking several early steps to prepare for the wildfire and drought season, including working proactively with local governments and First Nations to help keep people and communities safe and informed.

news.gov.bc.ca

 

[mariomike]

The difficult part is that a large portion of volunteers with these NGOs are also employed in first responder roles.

Our leave policy put it this way.

Leave of absence shall be granted to employees to serve in the Armed Forces during hostilities or during a time of war as declared by the Government of Canada. Seniority will accumulate during such leave.

 

[Jarnhamar]

It seems they're working on just that...

Now they just need to block the roads and stop people from leaving like in Maui.

Our leave policy put it this way:

Military Leave 24.09 (a) Leave of absence shall be granted to employees to serve in the Armed Forces during hostilities or during a time of war as declared by the Government of Canada. Seniority will accumulate during such leave.

We could declare a war on climate change then deploy all our reserves.

 

[markppcli]

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7201524

As someone with extended family up in Whitehorse this stuff is deeply concerning. We have population centres that size that can be totally cut off by fire quite easily. We need to find ways to establish redundancy, and maintain our lines of communication.

 

[Brad Sallows]

As someone with extended family up in Whitehorse this stuff is deeply concerning. We have population centres that size that can be totally cut off by fire quite easily. We need to find ways to establish redundancy, and maintain our lines of communication.

As with everything we need to do, all it takes is money.

 

[Jarnhamar]

How far away is the most reasonable town to evacuate to?

 

[Brad Sallows]

The Decline In Volunteering Is Driving Increased Division

Trying to improve civic engagement is one side of the problem. The other side would be to stop degrading civic engagement. Basically, whenever governments step in to take up a role filled by voluntary associations, the voluntary associations wither.

 

[markppcli]

How far away is the most reasonable town to evacuate to?

From where ?

 

[Jarnhamar]

From where ?

Whitehorse (meant to quote your post).

 

[MilEME09]

Whitehorse (meant to quote your post).

Fort st.Johns is more likely as the highway north to Whitehorse is cut to my understanding

 

[brihard]

How far away is the most reasonable town to evacuate to?

From which? Fort Nelson is about 3300 people and logically evacs to Fort St John, maybe a five hour drive?

If you’re talking Whitehorse? Good luck. We were about 27,000 people when I lived there- close to 9/10 the population of the territory. To find a bigger population centre you’re looking at Prince George, an 18 hour drive away. That said from WH it also assumed the one highway out isn’t cut. There are two routes into B.C., but it’s a couple hours east on the Alaska Highway until you hit that split. In a real pinch they could run a lot of rapid flights- YXY can take off anything CAF flies and most commercial aircraft, assuming it’s not smoked out.

Realistically assuming highway routes out are passable? You’d see some scatter back to various Yukon FN communities, a bunch would absorb into various towns in northern BC, and a bunch would probably drive or fly way south to the B.C. interior, Lower Mainland, or the FtSJ-Grande Prairie area.

It would be quite a logistical goat rodeo given that just about everything governmental is centralized in Whitehorse.

 

[suffolkowner]

do we need to build a bunch of buildings in these towns to accommodate emergency situations?

 

[medicineman]

For my research study, I have had to take this issue into consideration as well. The difficult part is that a large portion of volunteers with these NGOs are also employed in first responder roles. The challenge is how to attract more Canadians who are not already volunteering.

I did have some folks that were on a "Workfare" program - they collected Welfare/social assistance, but did (had to do) "x" number of volunteer hours/week/month to stay on the rolls, essentially working for their dole. Was a bit difficult admin wise, but we had a good Admin Officer to deal with that. I think that experiment lasted until just after I got posted...something something about making people work for their social assistance .

 

[brihard]

 

[foresterab]

do we need to build a bunch of buildings in these towns to accommodate emergency situations?

Part of the issue is the numbers but also the erratic areas where folks come from. Do you build housing for 3? 5? 20,000 people in a Whitehorse/Grande Prairie/Sioux Lookout/Tutuyuktuk? That might be double the size of some communities and they don't have just the shortage of housing but also sewer/medical/groceries etc. in town to support them. It's why you'll hear of remote, fly in communities in Northern Ontario being scattered from Kenora/Thunder Bay/Sault Ste. Marie/Toronto as the hotel rooms alone limit how much can be done.

That negative aside there has been temporary camps set up (Slave Lake 2011) or use of industrial camps (Fort Mac 2016) for examples where folks were given a safe spot until a longer term solution can be created. It's not so bad in July/August where there are more empty schools/arenas that can be used but it's really tough in April when Universities and public schools are still in use.

Solutions?

• prioritize road building to connect these remote communities. Even a single lane road + airstrip allows for dual options for escape vs. a single airstrip...especially if it's a gravel strip. It also has the potential to allow for a big drop in cost of living due to the ability to truck in essentials like groceries vs. airlift everything. This doesn't mean everything connects (my wallet just shrunk thinking about how much that'd cost) but would be an evacuation route to a second alternative location...think Fort Mac in 2016 moving residents north to the camps/airstrips up there as an interim measure until either airlift or conditions changed to allow road egress.
• It may be appropriate to look at planning wider for emergency response than just provinces. Is High Level a local evac center or is it also the next major community for anyone evacuating from the NWT? Fort Nelson is the next major center from the Yukon via Alaska Highway. Start with a large gravel pad where a temporary camp could be set up if needed + fuel bowser + power supply. A series of pre-established staging areas might be the low cost option so that WHEN the region needs to evacuate folks know they can a) refuel vehicles regardless of budget b) have a safe place to pull over and rest c) can be an interim assembly areas for families separated and d) a solid location for an Incident Command Post/Base camp for accommodations if needed. This however would need to have all the billing pre-established so that a small town knows in advance the bill is being pad by the neighboring area/agency/town.

I tend to think in about 5 hour radius travel circles as that is "roughly" a tank of gas. IF you're in a place like Northern Ontario with longer gaps between major communities then it's a case of road hubs (including gravel options) for your mid point location. But key here is low ongoing maintenance costs as least to start.

Longer term I often think of what would happen if the CAF and Canadian Universities both went on major "dorm/barracks" housing builds. Towers of multiple bedroom "quarters" that would serve a multiple purpose role of a) reducing some of the rent pressures on CAF members if they knew there were SQ/PMQ available at a common rent rate regardless of posting b) pull some of the student housing pressure off of communities and c) in case of emergency allow for use of vacant rooms for evacuees.

I can dream of winning the lotto Max jackpot too .
foresterab