Southern Alberta fire crews head north to battle wildfires

Firefighters from southern Alberta have traveled to the northern part of the province to help with the ongoing wildfire response.

"The goal is to go out there and help the tired and already hard-working firefighters that are existing up there, giving them the ability to get more support and more help," said Steve Munshaw, fire chief of the Taber Fire Department.

"The departments come together in any time of need."

Members from the Taber Fire Department, Stirling Fire Department, Coaldale and District Emergency Services, Picture Butte Emergency Services, Nobleford and District Emergency Services, Pincher Creek Emergency Services, Coalhurst Volunteer Fire Department and Vulcan County Fire Department are currently on the front lines fighting the flames.

The departments have also sent fire apparatus to the area.

On Saturday, the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) issued a request for support, prompting fire chiefs to jump into action.

"It’s a little bit hectic," said Clayton Rutberg, Director of Emergency Management with Lethbridge County and the fire chief with Coaldale and District Emergency Services.

"The equipment is the easy part, it's sitting here waiting to go, but trying to get people organized because the majority of the people we are sending up are volunteers with all of our organizations… they're giving up their normal work and day-to-day lives to head out and help keep other communities safe."

Munshaw says there hasn't been any hesitation from members about heading north.

"We had five calls on Saturday and when I gave them the call to give them their four-day deployment, they were on the truck within an hour ready to go and start their 10 hour journey to High Prairie," he said.

"Right now, we are looking at the possibility of redeploying," Munshaw explained. "Obviously, we have this crew that is up there, and we are not sending any more apparatus at this point, but we will be changing out this crew with a fresh crew on likely Friday."

Both Rutberg and Munshaw say the departments are staffed to allow their members to head north without their respective communities being put at risk.

The Chief Administrative Officer with the Village of Stirling Scott Donsellar says it takes a community effort to keep everyone safe.

"We have seen a lot of catastrophic events in the last decade hit Alberta, and municipalities in particular are realizing we can't do it on our own," Donsellar said. "We need to share these resources, we need collaborate, we need to cooperate and it's more about what's good for our residents and the safety of our communities than it is about bottom lines, dollars and cents."

Lethbridge Fire & Emergency Services has deployed a crew of four Firefighters to assist on the Buck Creek Fire in Brazeau County near Drayton Valley, Alta.

The members will be on a three-day deployment, at which time the situation will be reassessed to determine if further assistance is required.