After numerous deployments in years past, only one Burnaby Fire Department member has been sent to help with forest fires in B.C.'s interior this summer.
After of hundreds of hours of training and significant investments in wildland firefighting equipment, the Burnaby Fire Department has been sidelined this summer as forest fires rage out of control around the province.
"We have a resource package that we send with our people. It rolls with meals, sleeping arrangements and the ability to set up our own camp," Bowcock said in a 2021 City of Burnaby news release. Bowcock said Burnaby firefighters are often among the first to respond to calls for help with wildfires in the Interior.
In 2020, the department also spent $435,000 on boots, coveralls, helmets, backpacks, water bottles and gloves for wildland firefighting. And, last May, the department hosted fire departments from multiple cities for a training event on Burnaby Mountain focusing on tactics to protect homes from wildfires.
When the NOW asked why BFD hadn't been deployed and whether the decision had been made by the province or the fire department, Wagner said questions about deployment are "best answered by the province."
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