Volunteer crews from across Sask. flock to Beauval to fight fires
Crews from Humboldt, Davidson and Warman have sent crews and equipment in recent days
Volunteer firefighters from across Saskatchewan have been working in Beauval and other communities in the province's north to help save them from ongoing wildfires.
Volunteer crews and equipment from Humboldt, Davidson and Warman, alongside a host of other communities, have been helping with controlled burns, patrolling for spot fires and setting up sprinkler systems in the village, which is about 350 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon and is under a full evacuation order.
"You immediately just thought, 'they need help,'" said Corey Dean, the chief of the fire department in the south-central Saskatchewan town of Davidson.
"We have the training and we have the resources, we have extra equipment. We have a large enough department. It was a decision that we made upon ourselves."
Dean was in Beauval from July 2 to July 13 fighting fires. He and his crew helped save every house in the community as the fires edged up against the town, he said.
"It's literally hell on earth when the fire comes into town. There's no other way to describe it," he said. "It quickly turned from daylight to nighttime as smoke covered the sun. It got really dark, really smoky, and really hot."
It was "easily the most intense and humbling experience of my life as a firefighter," said Dean.
His Beauval deployment was his second this season, having spent six days in Weyakwin — about 150 kilometres southeast of Beauval — setting up a controlled burn earlier in the summer to protect the Ramsey Bay Resort. His team, all of whom have other full-time careers, are now taking a breather, he said.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has been spearheading the effort to recruit local firefighters, putting out a call through the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs to help co-ordinate resources.
Mike Kwasnica, the president of the fire chiefs' association, said local fire crews, who have more experience with structure fires, are being called in to let provincial fire crews focus on wildland firefighting.
"This season has been extraordinarily busy like we've never seen before," said Kwasnica, who is also the chief of the Humboldt Fire Department. "To do a provincial call-out like this is very rare."
More support needed: Beauval mayor
Kwasnica sent two of his firefighters to Beauval to complement another department that could only send a fire truck. Earlier this summer, he also did a 12-day deployment fighting fires in Weyakwin and La Ronge, to the north.
Like Dean's crews, Kwasnica's firefighters also have other full-time jobs, which he said makes co-ordination difficult.
"I think a lot of the municipality fire departments are starting to get tired and worn out," he said.
"It's just a matter of trying to co-ordinate peoples' holidays, their time off work, because … all these firefighters that we have that are going up all have other jobs."
They face long, hot and uncomfortable days, he said.
"But we're hoping that it makes a difference. And I know that in the past, and I'll speak for Humboldt, that when we needed help from the province, everybody came to our assistance," said Kwasnica. "For us, that's what we do."
Rick Laliberte, the mayor of Beauval, said on Thursday that while he's very appreciative and proud of the work that the volunteer firefighters have done to save his town, the wildfires have exposed how under-resourced northern communities are.
The Emergency Measures Act stipulates that municipalities are required to organize emergency committees, appoint an emergency co-ordinator and prepare an emergency plan, but some lack the resources to do so, he said.
"This province has to step up and provide resources to these northern municipalities to prepare themselves for these emergencies. There's nothing in our budget, our grants — [they] do not afford us emergency response," said Laliberte.
"Resources have to be given to northern communities and their surrounding areas.… It's these rural municipality structures to the south that we admire."
Training 'not the barrier' for local crews: SPSA
In addition to crews from around the province, the Saskatchewan government has also had help from crews and the use of equipment from other provinces for weeks. Last week, two airplanes and 100 wildfire personnel came from Quebec, and 40 firefighters came from Australia.
The public safety agency said another 40 firefighters from Mexico will be arriving in the next few days.
Steve Roberts, the agency's vice-president of operations, said Wednesday he didn't have an exact number for how many fire departments currently have resources and crew members in Beauval, but that his agency is ready to co-ordinate more support.
"Should they need more or need replacement, those will be addressed through our normal process for getting more resources to those scenes," he said.
When asked about the growing numbers of international crews coming into the province, Roberts disputed the argument that the province isn't putting enough resources into local crews.
"We have actually trained thousands of local community members to assist us," he said.
Training and awareness programs are well underway, but "the training is not the barrier," he said.
"It's getting individuals to come forward, identify themselves and be hired to assist in the efforts."
The safety agency said as of Thursday night, there were 49 active wildfires in the province, 11 of which are not contained. So far this year, there have been 376 fires in the province, well above the five-year average of 282 for this date.
Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:
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