Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services (CFES) crews along with fire crews from three other local jurisdictions will be taking part in the two-day training session this weekend.
CFES will be joined by firefighters from the Regional District of East Kootenay, Invermere and Golden.
Scott Driver, the Director of Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services said 28 structural firefighters will be given direction and knowledge to fight wildfires this summer.
According to Driver, crew members with wildland firefighting training can be dispatched to fight wildfires at the request of the BC Wildfire Service or the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
“We are quite excited as a region to further develop our wildfire structural defence skills and to expand our capacity to help the BC Wildfire Service deliver structural defence across the region this summer,” said Driver.
Driver said the training will help both structural and Wildland firefighters work cohesively as a team, so they can cooperate towards the same goal.
“Structural firefighters are getting trained to operate alongside BC Wildfire so that we more effectively respond as one team and better protect our communities.”
According to Driver, the training session was made possible thanks to trainers from across the province.
“We’re also really thankful to our instructors from the City of West Kelowna and the City of Penticton. These dedicated individuals have dedicated countless hours to develop and deliver this course right across this Province,” added Driver. “Everyone has stepped up to make sure we keep improving our fire suppression skills at the municipal and local government levels.”
Field training for the course is scheduled for Sunday, after a one-day online session the day before.
** Story by Josiah Spyker ***