COMOX, B.C. – It was another busy summer for Comox Fire Rescue members.
In early August, the Office of the Fire Commissioner requested Comox firefighters to help with structure protection at the Nanaimo Lakes fire.
Comox provided this assistance with a very well-equipped structure protection unit (SPU trailer) and well-trained crews, according to a Comox Fire Rescue release.
Their SPU trailers are equipped with several high-pressure water pumps and more than 100 sprinklers.
After the local firefighters spent four days in Nanaimo, the threat to the structures decreased and the Comox team came home, only to be called again later in the month to assist at an interface fire in the Zeballos area.
After 19 days there, the team has now returned home.
At the same time Chief Gord Schreiner spent two weeks in the Burns Lake area, working as a Structure Protection Specialist for the province and assisting at one of the largest provincial wildfires.
“It is great that we have the equipment, skill and capacity to assist other communities like this. We could not do this without the support of our firefighters who remain behind to continue to provide great service here and also the support of our municipal council,” Schreiner said. “Our deployed firefighters bring back experiences that they can share with the other members of our fire department.”
Comox Fire Rescue has two structure protection units and more than 40 firefighters trained as structure protection team members.
Last summer Comox structure protection team was deployed for 50 days in the Cariboo.
