Working behind the scenes is a group of people whose sole purpose is to support frontline Hotshot firefighters in their battle against raging wildfires.
From hot meals and cots to showers and electricity, the people supporting these firefighters are a logistical whirlwind.
News 1130 reports there are an estimated 4,000 firefighting personnel in British Columbia, and the wildfire service has set up 10 camps to house the crews. Some camps, like the one at the Williams Lake airport, accommodate up to 800 workers.
Fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek says these “pop up” cities can last for months.
“Cots for everyone if they are sleeping in the larger tents, sleeping bags, foamies, Thermarests, that kind of thing,” he lists for News 1130.
“As well as all the food and these camps will be set up for months.”
News 1130 reports that although logisticians can at times tap into local resources, some camps are very remote.
“Water, internet, electricity – all of those are hugely important. We have significant generators we can bring in. We have a satellite Internet system. Water, quite often, will have to be trucked in,” Skrepnek tells News 1130.
Firefighters are typically quartered in tents. However, kitchens and washroom facilities are located in portable trailers.
News 1130 reports it’s not only infrastructure supporting the effort … cooks are preparing hundreds of meals and setup and cleanup crews are looking after camp operations and security.
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