OLIVER – From blowing up a suitcase and swift water rescues to putting out vehicle fires and large chemical blazes.
Hundreds of volunteer firefighters from all over the province are in the south Okanagan this weekend for some very hands-on training.
“We have a fuel spill that caught fire, we have car fires, a smoke filled building… motor-vehicle accidents, car crash simulators, a little bit of everything,” says Oliver fire chief, Dan Skeros.
More than 350 firefighters from 76 departments in B.C. are taking part in the annual training and the public is invited to watch it all.
For many in Oliver, living in a community all too familiar with the threat of wildfires, watching the devastation in our neighboring province brings back tough memories.
“Especially seeing what has happened up in Fort McMurray, that’s definitely concerning and we were one street out of the evacuation zone last year [in Oliver],” says attendee Melissa Graham.
It has many appreciating how much this weekend’s training in Oliver could affect the future of their community.