120 additional firefighters are coming from out of province and country to help with BC’s Wildfire situation.
The BC government announced a 20-person unit crew accompanied by an agency representative from Quebec arrived in BC on Friday, July 16th, and 100 more from Mexico are expected to arrive in Abbotsford on July 24th.
“We appreciate the firefighting assistance we’re receiving from other Canadian provinces and from Mexico,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. “These crews are a welcome addition to our own firefighters and contractors, who are working extremely hard to help keep B.C. communities safe.”
The BC government says there will be strict COVID-19 protocols in place for the arrivals, and the Mexican firefighters will be tested for COVID-19 before leaving Mexico and when they arrive in BC. They will also be offered vaccinations before being deployed.
In addition, the crews from Quebec and Mexico will live and work in operational ‘bubbles’ apart from BC crews, and will remain in these bubbles when away from fire lines.