By Cheryl Jahn

Local firefighters return from Jasper

Aug 1, 2024 | 3:04 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – July 24th. Members of the Beaverly Volunteer Fire Department join peers from Valemount, McBride and Quesnel in heading to Jasper.

“Alberta had made the request to British Columbia to look for some structural firefighter resources. And specifically, they were at that time looking for Type One engines, which is the large structural engine,” explains Cpt. Melanie Perrin. “And they were looking for us to send the closest resources. And there we got McBride, Valemount and we had Quesnel as well.”

The Beaverly Fire Hall and others have headed to other BC communities threatened by wildfire, such as Barriere. But when Alberta asked for the Type One truck, she knew Jasper was different. And they had a very specific job when they got there.

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“Typical business businesses, you go to a single, a fire, a structure fire, you’re able to work with that structure, fire and do your strategies and look to suppress and save as much of that properties you can when you have a third of a town on fire, it certainly is using the resources to the best effect.”

This was the first time Rylie Braun attended anything similar to the Jasper fire.

“There’s a part of my brain that knew that it was coming. But then when you actually started driving and you saw the flames leaping up through the trees beside the highway and then you’re driving down the highway, you can see Jasper burning on your left-hand side. That was completely shocking. Even though I knew it was coming, it still totally shocked me. Once you got there you’re completely enraptured in the moment. Adrenaline’s pumping and there’s just flames everywhere around you.”

Thirty percent of that community was lost to wildfire. 358 of the town’s 1,113 structures were destroyed. And during that critical time, the local volunteer firefighters were tasked with one specific job: save what could be saved. But Captain Perrin says the local fire area was never left short.

“We only allow our apparatus to go to the area that are in addition to the minimum apparatus to that to service the fire protection area.”

They joined a host of other firefighters and, for some, it was an eye-opening experience.