Force trained to battle fires

By ROBERT LOMBARDI

MINTO – the turbulence over Lake Laberge shakes up the Piper Navajo and in the early morning light the clouds take on boiling over the eastern peaks.

At 2,000 metres, hundreds of kilometres of pine and spruce forest marches to the horizon. Thousands of hectares of forest can be destroyed by fire during a Yukon summer.

This year is the first time that a coordinated program has been used to teach firefighting methods to both regular and emergency fire fighters. In the past, regular fire crews have been taught in one of the 10 local districts and emergency fire fighting was left to mostly untrained volunteer crews.

Len Hedberg is an expert in training crews in fire suppression and has worked in both the Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Now Hedberg heads the Northern Affairs fire suppression camp at Minto. Hedberg’s job is to train the regular seasonal worker as well as emergency fire fighters, dubbed EFF.

This is the first time all regular and EFF crews have been brought to one location, and the forest tome training has followed a standard method accepted in the N.W.T., Alberta and B.C.

"This training program," Hedberg says, "is step one in creating a inventory of experienced fire suppression crews. Once we get this nucleus trained it will gice us a core group to draw on during seasonal as well as emergency situations."

Right now experienced fire crews have to be imported during emergency situations such as last year’s massive fire at Watson Lake.

This new training program will create about 110 EFF’s that will be available thoughout the fire season in their districts. Training programs like this one will add to a widening pool of expert fire fighters.

Hedberg explains that the districts were split in half. Two weeks ago Old Crow, Dawson, Mayo and Carmacks sent 52 EFF and 28 regulars for six days training. Last week Beaver Creek, Whitehorse, Haines Junction, Teslin and Watson Lake sent 56 EFF and 32 regulars.

All received 50 hours of instruction in five modules. The modules range from helicopter safety, radio operation, fire mop up theory and chain saw practice to operation of infrared scanners and first aid.

Each successful trainee gets a "S-100 classification." During the training period both the regulars and the EFF are paid an hourly wage. As an incentive, a bonus of $1 per hour is paid to EFF that pass the course.

EFF return to their districts and will be employed during an emergency fire situation. Hedberg says that EFF are chosen on the basis of past working history and a willingness to learn.

"This year," says Hedberg, "only the basic S-100 level will be taught." Next year qualified personnel will be accepted into the S-200 level." The program goes to the S-600 level, which teaches how to be the "general" of a large fire-fighting effort.

The Minto camp is well laid out amidst the aspen and pine country adjacent to the Yukon river, north of Carmacks. The camp is divided into cooking, sleeping, lecture and first aid areas.

At night the crews occupy themselves with horseshoe tournaments, soft ball, or given recent rains, with keeping dry.

The days are spent in lectures and testing.

In the lecture tend, Terry Kennedy is discussing helicopter safety with a tent full of eager EFF participants. Kennedy’s job is normally that of co-rdinating aircraft for fire management.

Today he is showing slides of a main rotor of a Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter.

"This blade sits seven feet above the ground," he tells the trainees, "and is one of the highest clearances found in many of the different helicopters you will be working with. Even so, a gust of wind or a sloping ground surface can reduce that clearance to only four feet. You guys have to be aware at all times when you are working around the machines."

"Less than 10 percent of the EFF have any helicopter experience," he days during a break. "The plan is to give them both theory and practical experience so that there won’t be any accidents."

Gina Farrato is one of the women taking the course. Her job designation in the camp is Camp Boss.

She worked in firefighting out of Sault St. Marie for two years before coming to the Yukon and says the course is going well.

"Most of the crews know about fire suppression. The EFF are learning a lot about helicopter safety."

Mike Griffin, like Farrato, is a regular fire fighter. He said there was no work back east. "I thought I’d give the Yukon a try."

Many of the trainees, especially the EFF, expressed concern over unemployment and finding jobs after the course is over. Some of the EFF decided to take the course because there is no work ant the S-100 rating means they can apply for regular firefighter jobs.

Monica Stone of Teslin is a typical EFF. She wants to use her certificate to try and find regular work later in the season. She hopes she might become the first female Fire Boss in the Yukon.

Gordie Beaulieu is in a different situation. A renewable resource management graduate from the Thebacha College in Fort Smith, N.W.T., Beaulieu is on a one-month practicum, working with the fire protection coordinator Dick Seaman and other regional officers.

Regional managers like Meredith Park of Carmacks consider the training program important. "This training program is very valuable in that it creates a background of people who are reliable." The N.W.T. has over 680 trained fire fighters, double that of the Yukon.

Al Stacey, pilot for Midwest’s Jet Ranger, starts a demonstration of the helicopter by emphasizing the critical danger areas such as the main tail and rotor blades.

Stacy says to the EFF crew: "the time when everybody gets excited is when we should be taking it slow and easy. If we can’t do it safe, we shouldn’t do it."

The crews are shown proper ways of slinging loads as well as setting up the 450-litre water bucket used by helicopters on the fire line. Simulated runs are made by the Jet Ranger dumping the water on "hot areas," giving the crew practice with hand signals and various safety practices.

Jet Rangers rent for about $400 per hour, which is close to their break even cost. This year, the economy is so depressed, outside competition is charging as low as $250 per hour. That makes Yukon operators worried about their prospects.

The sun finally breaks out and starts warming and drying out the Yukon brush. In less than a month this situation will change to one of drought and fire danger and once again the firefighters will be put on alert.