Northwest

The Northwest Fire Centre (NWFC) is responsible for forest fire protection for the western portion of the Northern Interior Forest Region, and the northern portion of the Coastal Forest Region. It includes the forest districts of Kalum, Skeena-Stikine, Nadina, North Coast, and the Queen Charlotte Islands. The area covers a quarter of British Columbia, from the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) to just west of Endako and from the Yukon border to Tweedsmuir Park. It is over 25 million hectares in size, consisting predominantly of pine and spruce trees. Balsam can also be found in the higher elevations with hemlock and red cedar becoming more prevalent along the coast.

The Northwest Fire Centre, located at the Smithers airport, is the operational headquarters for 20 regular year-round staff. Major communities in the Northwest are Burns Lake, Houston, Smithers, Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Dease Lake and Queen Charlotte City. In an average year, the Northwest Fire Centre responds to 165 wildfires, which burn approximately 8,000 hectares.

During the fire season, 124 wildland firefighters are stationed at bases in Burns Lake, Houston, Telkwa, Hazelton, Terrace and Dease Lake. They are comprised of eight initial attack crews and five unit crews. The fire fighters are supported by five administration staff, four Dispatchers and eleven Forest Protection Technicians and Assistants.

Over the course of the summer these firefighters are strategically placed in various locations to respond to wildfires throughout the Northwest, depending on where the fire hazard is the greatest. Remote bases have also been set up in Atlin and Watson Lake to accommodate crews fighting wildfires in the northern reaches of the region.

One of the best known tools in the fight against forest fires is an air tanker fleet. The NWFC has air tanker bases in Smithers, Terrace, Dease Lake and, through a cooperative agreement with the Yukon Forest Service, Watson Lake and Whitehorse. Air tankers fly over fires that have the potential to escape initial attack capabilities and drop fire retardant ahead of the f ires. This helps to curtail the spread and to cool the fires, allowing crews on the ground to attack them more aggressively.