This past weekend, Winkler firefighters completed some specialized training that involved readying up and understanding wildfires, how they work, and tactics for dealing with them.
When the local fire crew gets called in
The MESC (Manitoba Emergency Services) program, called Wildland Firefighting for Structural Firefighters, was designed to give crews the skills and knowledge needed when wildfires spread from Crown land into municipal areas.
Fire Chief Richard Paetzold explained when exactly it is that structural firefighters typically get called in to deal with wildfires.
“When there’s a wildfire anywhere in the province on crown land, wildfire service takes care of it. But if the wildfire starts affecting municipal land, or municipalities and communities, then the office of the fire commissioner becomes involved.”
Preparing for Urban Interface fires
After one of the largest wildfire seasons in recent memory, the course focused on urban interface tactics, wildfire behaviour, safety procedures, and equipment use. Crews practiced everything from setting up sprinklers on homes to working safely around heavy equipment and water bombers.
“It’s designed to provide the fire service with skills and the knowledge to conduct wildfire fighting operations… it covers wildfire behaviour, which is often a lot different than structural fire behaviour,” said Paetzold.
The chief pointed out that the timing of the training came after many Winkler firefighters had already been deployed earlier this summer to northern Manitoba, where they gained first-hand experience protecting communities from advancing flames.
“’The test comes before the lesson,’ because half our department was out doing all this stuff in the north before the course. They were learning hands-on,” he said, “Now they understand why we were doing what we were doing.”
The training also covered more local risks, such as fast-moving grass fires that can be deadly. “More firefighters actually die in grass fires versus forest fires. Because, you know, it seems like ‘This is just a grass fire,’ but it can move so much faster depending on the wind and how dry it is.”
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More training to come
Not all Winkler members were able to participate in this round of training, but Paetzold said those who missed out will join firefighters in Letellier for another session later this month.
Paetzold, who served 21 years with The Pas Fire Department before moving to Winkler, understands the importance of ensuring his crews are properly prepared. “This is all about firefighter safety... making sure that we have everybody come home. And we become more effective in doing what we need to do.”
- with files from the Winkler Fire Department -