Nova Scotia is responding to a request from British Columbia for help in fighting numerous fires in B.C.’s forests.
A 21-person crew from the Department of Natural Resources is leaving Halifax early Monday morning, July 17. The Nova Scotia crew includes 20 on-the-ground firefighters and an on-site manager to help direct the crew’s efforts in co-ordination with B.C. fire officials. The crew will be in B.C. for two weeks.
“Nova Scotians have been watching with great concern what the people of B.C. are going through,” said Minister of Natural Resources Margaret Miller. “Our provincial wildfire fighters are well trained and ready to help. They will be working in very difficult conditions so we offer them our best wishes for a safe return.”
The extra resources from Nova Scotia were requested through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre to help control and extinguish the B.C. wildfires. The Department of Natural Resources will ensure that proper firefighting resources are maintained within Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia is a member of the Canadian Mutual Aid Resource Sharing Agreement, established in the early 1980s, which ensures all provinces and territories will receive help if forest fires become too big to handle. The affected province covers the costs of the jurisdictions sending help.
Nova Scotia’s crew will be joined by crews from New Brunswick, P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec.
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Source: Media Release