More than 100 firefighters from throughout the Fraser Valley will be in Chilliwack for special training on how to fight ‘wildland-urban interface’ fires.
The comprehensive course, called Responding to the Interface, is being offered to 128 firefighters from Chilliwack, Mission, the Chilliwack River Valley, Agassiz, Popkum, and Abbotsford from Feb. 29 to March 4. It is hosted by the Chilliwack Fire Department, in partnership with the City of Chilliwack and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).
An ‘interface’ fire is when a wildfire can potentially affect urban areas.
“The wildland-urban interface — the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development — is growing at an astronomical rate, causing enormous loss of property and significant risk to human lives,” reads the IAFF’s website.
Fighting these fires requires its own set of knowledge, skills and tactics.
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Wildland firefighters are experts at combatting fires in our forests and grasslands, while structural firefighters are trained and experienced dealing with structural and wildland fires. The wildland-urban interface is where the two environments meet.
“Supported through grant funding from the federal government, this course provides structural firefighters with comprehensive training and information regarding wildland-urban interface response, command, strategies, and tactics,” reads a press release issued by the Chilliwack Fire Department. “Firefighters will learn these critical skills through a combination of classroom sessions and mock response scenarios in the community.”
The Responding to the Interface course is presented by IAFF instructors from across Canada and the United States.
If you see a wildfire in the back country, report it to BC Wildfire Service as soon as possible by calling 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cell phone. For additional tips, visit BC Wildfire Service’s Wildfire Prevention page.