As the resort community of Whistler prepares for wildfire season, a key part of its new wildfire defence plan focuses on the role of the tourism industry.
A big part of that plan is Blackcomb Helicopters.
While the company focuses on sightseeing flights, including giving brides and grooms once-of-a-kind weddings, in the event of a wildfire its mission is much more critical.
“It’s very vital,” Amy McDowell, the tourism director for Blackcomb Helicopters told Global News.
“The majority of our tourism business is a short time period over the summer. So those visitors coming to the resort for July and August are super important.”
McDowell said a big part of the business is fire suppression.
![Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/themes/shaw-globalnews/images/skyline/national.jpg)
Get daily National news
“And we travel all across Canada, depending on where the fires are to help with that,” she said.
![Click to play video: 'Whistler’s wildfire defence plan'](https://i0.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/news/9jkfibegf5-pp4s06bjeu/JPEG_WHISTLER_MOSCONI.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
Another part of Whistler’s wildfire response is using snowmaking machines, hooked up to a system of 900 hydrants to provide water to more than 700 acres.
“So we saw that in action last year,” Whistler Fire Chief Thomas Doherty told Global News.
“There was a lightning strike up the Symphony Bowl area. Whistler Blackcomb staff were quick to respond on scene straight away and they were able to mitigate that fire.”
![Click to play video: 'Whistler prepares for wildfire season'](https://i1.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/news/uncqa64i5l-hnlpqr7bah/mosconi_web.png?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
Comments