The Prince George Tree Improvement Station, down the dirt road at the end of Domano, is full of new wildfire recruits preparing for a busy summer ahead of them.
Between the boot camp currently going on and one that took place in Prince George earlier this spring, Sharon Nickel, a Fire Information Officer, said there are just shy of 150 new firefighters preparing to join the BC Wildfire Service team.
“This is a key component of developing a wildfire firefighter,” she told My PG Now. “There are a lot of classroom components, as well as fitness testing and being able to put theory into practice.”
This theory was being put into practice this morning (Friday) as lines of recruits worked on digging a hand guard in the increasingly warmer sun.
“Recruits are removing a portion of fine fuel, leaves, really dry litter that is available and highly combustible and bringing it down to mineral soil that will provide a fire break,” Nickel explained.
Some other components to the camp included operating water pumps, running controlled burns, and of course extinguishing fires.
People who are interested in signing up to fight wildfires have missed their opportunity this year, Nickel said the application process typically ends in January.
Following the application, recruits must pass an interview and a fitness test in order to attend a recruitment camp.
As a seasonal job, Nickel said they see a lot of students cycle through the position.
The recruitment camp will run until Monday, after which the firefighting begins.
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