PEACHLAND, BC: On Monday, when Peachland’s mayor responded to questions about the response to the Trepanier Creek wildfire, Keith Fielding said, “Our fire chief was on the scene 15 minutes after the first fire was called in.”
But the BC Ministry of Forests has issued an official response time-line that tells a different story.
14:55 First public report of the fire to Wildfire Management Branch
Plotting of the initial fire reports positioned this fire outside of the local fire department’s jurisdiction.
15:10 Forest Officer en route (already in truck and driving)
15:22 First helicopter en route to fire (approx. 5 minutes travel time to site)
Courtesy: BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Earlier information about the police response to the fire showed within the first 15 minutes, RCMP were scrambling for help as they watched the fire turn into a wild, wind-driven blaze.
RCMP: “If this doesn’t get under control, it’s not going to be good,” an officer can be heard saying on the scanner.
Timeline continued:
15:22 Peachland Fire Department duty officer responding
15:27 Forest Officer requests assistance from local fire department
Get daily National news
15:31 Peachland Fire Department sending one bush truck and one tender
15:34 First Peachland Fire Department member on scene
Courtesy: BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Peachland’s fire chief was ready to talk to the media Wednesday to defend his volunteer department’s response to the fire, 39 minutes after the first public call to the Wildfire Management Branch.
“We go through dispatch,”says Grant Topham, confirming he did not call forestry to have his crews involved in the fire, which began outside its jurisdiction. “Dispatch calls forestry. Forestry calls dispatch back and we get dispatched through our proper 911 channels.”
“That wasn’t my understanding,”says Peachland Mayor Keith Fielding after listening to his fire chief’s explanation Wednesday.
But despite new information on the fire response by Peachland crews, Fielding was quick to defend his fire chief.
“I don’t need facts to assure people our fire chief is acting responsibly and in the best public interest because I know that to be the case,” says Fielding. “I don’t need to see a timeline to know he is doing everything possible and protecting Peachland the way that he should.”
Topham says Peachland fire crews will continue to wait to respond to interface fires outside its boundaries until invited by BC Ministry of Forests.
“That’s the way we did it that day. That’s the way we would have done it previous to that. And if it happened now we would probably use pretty much the same protocol,” says Topham.
Timeline continued:
15:59 Bird dog aircraft overhead
16:16 First load of fire retardant dropped
Courtesy: BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
While BC Forest Protection Technician Dale Bojahra, a veteran Okanagan wildfire responder, was the first on the scene, he says the wind driven Trepanier Creek wildfire was almost impossible to catch.
“With the spread rates that we were seeing here, it was very, very difficult to catch this fire unless you’re there within the first couple minutes which is next to impossible., “says Bojahra. “It’s completely unrealistic. You’d have to have water tenders on every corner of British Columbia.”
Mayor Fielding isn’t taking criticism over the response lightly, considering only four homes were destroyed and thousands more saved.
“I think it’s disgraceful that amount of finger pointing and criticism that’s going on when this is a cause for celebration,” says Fielding.
The Ministry says a standard review will take place of the Trepanier Creek wildfire to identify possible areas of improvement.
The Peachland Fire Department consists of a full time, paid chief, a paid on-call duty officer and about 35 volunteers for a population of approximately 5,900.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.