‘I’m running out of underwear, too, folks!’ West Kelowna fire chief calls for patience from evacuees

West Kelowna’s fire chief knows exactly how anxious evacuees are to get home, now that the McDougall Creek wildfire is more manageable.

“I appreciate all the patience you’ve shown,” Jason Brolund said on Wednesday, speaking directly via the last Emergency Operations Centre livestream update about the Grouse Complex wildfires.

“I’m still out of my house, as is my family. I’m feeling the same things you guys are. I’m running out of underwear, too, folks.

“And I get it. We’re gonna get this across the finish line. Like I said yesterday, just continue to be patient with us so we can make sure we do it safely.”

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Later in the day, West Kelowna fire firefighters responded to the endearing comment by Brolund with a light-hearted comment on their social media.

“Please don’t bring our chief underwear, we’ll take care of him,” they wrote.

While some levity has been appreciated by those who were privy to it, Brolund’s point was that the return home is a process that they take very seriously — and while there will be a relaxing of evacuation orders throughout the day it’s going to be slow.

“The list of things we look at is long, and, you know, if we can’t get the streets swept, I understand, that. That’s not why we’re holding people back,” Brolund said.

“We’re holding people back because we’re still firefighting in the neighbourhood. There’s hoses and pumps. I can’t have you operating around that. I also can’t put you back if there’s still a fire burning just in your backyard or nearby.”

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Brolund said public notices that evacuation orders are being rescinded will come in small pieces, “nowhere near as large” as the evacuation itself.

“I want to share how we make these decisions so that people understand some of the things we’re thinking about,” he said.

“What we’re looking at first and foremost, is it safe to do so? So for me and my partners at the RCMP and the (BC) Wildfire Service, we’re considering things like: Is the fire out in the neighborhood?'”

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He said they are then looking at debris and hazards that may be on the roads and properties, and whether the scorched ground is either a fireguard put in by firefighters or a burned area.

Then local governments come in and look at things like utilities, making sure firefighters have enough water to fight fires, that the sewer system and power are secured, and that natural gas is secured or on.

“We’ll be looking at making sure that your garbage is going to get collected when you return home on a regular schedule,” he said. “Also, is the neighborhood secure? Is the road that you’re going to travel to get home back to the evacuated area open and safe?

“Many of the streets are covered in debris, branches, ashes, rocks that have rolled down the hill, tree stumps, and we need to ensure that the streets are swept and clear for you to travel on.”

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Firefighters also have to determine whether there’s a chance of fire conditions worsening in each neighbourhood.

“We want to avoid having to evacuate you a second time if this incident escalates because it’s been proven that people are likely not to evacuate,” he said. “So we want to make sure there’s no risk of that. ”

They also have to remove bladders and pumps and hoses running throughout some neighbourhoods.

“Only then would we begin to consider and move on to other things,” Brolund said.

Multiple times a day, all parties involved with the management of these fires meet to provide recommendations that are ultimately decided on by the EOC.

“I hope that gives you a glimpse into the process that we undergo to get you back to your homes,” Brolund said.