With B.C.’s 2024 wildfire season already underway, aerial firefighting teams are already drilling for what’s expected to be a challenging summer.
Housed at the Abbotsford International Airport is a specialized simulator for wildfire pilots, the only one of its type in the world.
It’s part of a facility operated by Conair, a B.C. company that both builds and flies wildfire-fighting aircraft and now operates worldwide. This marks the second season crews have had access to the tool.
“We are able to simulate things we just couldn’t do in on-wing training,” Said Jeff Berry, Conair’s vice-president of business development.
“The complexity that comes from multiple aircraft, fire conditions that are burning up a hill, the values at risk, and we’re looking for all those decisions and all that organization to enable us to be as effective as we can right from the beginning of the season, despite how many aircraft come to a fire and how complex it is.”
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The priority, Berry said, making sure aircrews have completely dialled in the complex dance of communicating with other aircraft, ground crews and other players as they work to target active wildfires.
A failure to use the right frequencies and right language while coordinating with so many parties can result in “total chaos,” he said, right up to a failure to be able to action a fire.
Equally important, he said, is training for safety.
“We are looking for ‘no-go’ decisions — we can simulate fires where probably the best thing to do is to do nothing, rather than putting yourself and your aircraft at risk,” he said.
“Nobody benefits from an air tanker flying into an obscured valley with no visibility and then having a close call or even an accident.”
As air crews are put through their paces, the Conair fleet is also undergoing its final spring maintenance.
The company contracts about 40 of its aircraft to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
Forests Minister Bruce Ralston toured the facility Friday, to meet pilots and get a look at the training facility.
“Our government relies on partnerships to get the job done. Working together with our crews on the ground aerial support is a crucial element in wildfire suppression. From initial attack to fire patrols and high-level scanning, our aviation partners play a crucial role in protecting people,” Ralson said.
“The focus is keeping people, keeping communities, businesses safe from wildfire. That’s the job we have, that’s the job you have, and its a very, very important one.”
The 2023 wildfire was the most destructive in B.C. history, with more than 2.84 million hectares of forest burned along with hundreds of homes.
Officials have raised concerns 2024 could also be bad, with many parts of B.C. dealing with multi-year drought, and worryingly low snowpack levels across the province.
The province has already seen one early-season evacuation order issued, though residents affected by the Wildmare Creek fire near Chetwynd have since been cleared to return home.
As of Friday there were 109 active wildfires across the province, one of which was listed as “out of control.”