Though the Okanagan Mountain fires of 2003 are still at the forefront of the fire industry's collective memory, all things considered-pine beetle-damaged timber as a large fuel source, for one - the 2007 summer fire season is off to a fairly quiet start. That doesn't mean the crews aren't busy: fire crews are mandated to assist in emergency efforts across the province, and the crews have been hard at work providing support for the flooding taking place in and around Terrace and Prince George, BC.

The number of wildland fires is below average now, but both BC and Alberta governments have spent several years getting this summer's strategies for the fire season in place. Working with pine beetle-damaged stands is a focus for both provinces, which have strategies in place this summer for controlling both fires and the spread of the beetles themselves.

In BC, the Superintendent of Fire Operations and Preparedness, John Flanagan, notes that ongoing studies have been determining the most effective way of controlling these fires.

"We've learned some lessons over the last couple of years, through a research project at Carrot Lake in the Vanderhoef area," says Flanagan. "Our behaviour researchers and scientists were able to do some controlled burns within the standing forest. What we're trying to do is get an idea of the volatility of the fire stands, to develop operational responses."

Flanagan describes one such method, known as a double dispatch. Under average conditions, a dispatch would send one helicopter with three people to the fire. In mountain pine beetle stands, two helicopters and two crews are on hand. "In certain weather conditions, the pine forest takes on the characteristics of 30- or 40-foot-high grass," says Flanagan. "There are flashes, but not long persistence, because needles are dead and contain zero to low moisture content."

In Alberta, Chris Stockdale of the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development notes that the province will be engaging in prescribed burns for the first time in several years. "Pine beetle is a main factor," notes Stockdale. "The pine beetle infestation that's spreading in Alberta, a lot of it is a result of past fire suppression. We're returning where we can to historical fire regimes on the landscape to try to control numerous aspects of forest health and forest ecology."

The burns set for this summer have been in the planning stages for several years, and are the result of combined efforts by the Ministry, Parks Canada and Alberta Parks. Burns are timed to have the least impact on wildlife in the area for example, at a time when young animals are mobile. "We know that there's a wolf den on one of the sites, and we won't burn at time of year when the wolves are in den," says Stockdale. "We'll also be putting sprinklers on the den itself, just in case. We work for the protection of the animals we do find, working with fish and wildlife experts to develop mitigation strategies. That's why it takes years to plan these burns."

The prescribed burns will be taking place in Spray Lakes Provincial Park, in the Upper Saskatchewan River corridor at the edge of Banff Park, and in the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch.

Concern about pine beetle-damaged stands in BC has led the fire operations team to request additional teams this year. "Because we're putting two crews on sites, we requested through treasury board 20 more initial attack crews and a 20-person sustained action or unit crew," says Flanagan. "When the fire gets beyond initial attack, a 20-person crew known as 'ground pounders' stay to look after the fire, while the initial attack crew is released to deal with new fires."

In addition to the extra crew, Flanagan notes that BC will be engaging four helicopters in long-term contracts this season - long-term in fire season means three to four months. In the past, the province has contracted helicopters on an as-needed basis for three to four days at a time. But with the oil and gas industry booming, fire crews discovered there just weren't enough helicopters available. Contracting four ensures the crews will be well supported in the event of a burn.

High-tech support is also an integral part of fire suppression. As Flanagan explains, a GPS-based computer system in the Victoria office takes account of every helicopter and vehicle out in BC, following each crew as they move to areas of concern. As a phone report of a fire comes in, the system allows dispatch to know exactly where the closest team is to move on site. It also allows head office to know in real time when lightning strikes hit the ground, reporting even the polarity of the strike itself. Two hundred and fifty weather stations give hourly weather reports, providing wind speed, direction and relative humidity, allowing dispatch to ascertain the severity of the fire should it start. "Seeing where all of our resources are, it's almost like a big video game," jokes Flanagan. "It's all about situational awareness."

As important as a well-executed fire strategy is the equipment the ground and air crews utilize to get burns under control. SEI Industries' Bambi Buckets have long been standard aerial firefighting tools for scooping water from nearby lakes, ponds and other bodies of water to be dropped from a helicopter over a blaze. (In fact, Bambi Buckets are now utilized in over 95 countries). The original, invented in 1983, features a valve to release the water. In the last year, a new modification known as the Torrentula "Lite" Valve boosts the Bambi by allowing for a variable dump option on buckets from 120 to 440 gallons in size.

Flanagan also referred to a new modification on their helicopters that allows refilling of belly tanks, affixed to the bottom of the aircraft, using a "snorkel": the operator can drop the snorkel into the body of water and fill the tank up in under a minute.

Griffith Polymers also provides the polyurethane "Big Dipper" firefighting bucket, a large water drop bucket whose volume allows for five or six drops of water at one time.

Ground crews can work with KMC-Kootrac's High-Speed Steel Track Vehicle, designed for wildland forest fire suppression. Its soft track meets environmental requirements for minimal site degradation; the cast steel track pads connected with rubber-brushed steel pins permit track flexibility while preventing metal-to-metal wear and track contamination from soils.

Keeping fire crews protected and healthy is also critical in ensuring containment of a burn. For ground crews, Heli-Tanks by Fireflex are slung under helicopters to deliver potable water to crews in areas with steep slopes and limited water resources. The tank is constructed of a rugged fabric that is mould and mildew-resistant.

The equipment used needs to be stable and light and perform well too. Pumps such as the Wickman-100 from Mercedes Textiles offers an ultra light portable fire pump with a low centre of gravity for ground crews. Power is supplied by a long-lasting two-stroke engine with a clutch system that yields reliable starts.

Finally, getting people on the ground, and quickly, is of utmost concern when large blazes occur. An interagency organization known as the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in Winnipeg is on standby to bring in more ground and air crews, should a fire grow past the resources of local crews. As John Flanagan notes, "No agency can have the numbers for the worst case scenario."