It\u2019s a scenario nobody wants to face.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a hot and dry summer, and a campfire has been abandoned. A gust of wind spreads the fire to nearby trees behind Quarry Rock in Deep Cove, sparking a wildfire.<\/p>\n
The blaze quickly picks up speed and intensity, heading towards homes in the Woodlands, Cascade and Sunshine Falls neighbourhoods along Indian Arm. Residents, however, can\u2019t escape, as the roads are compromised with fire cutting off evacuation routes.<\/p>\n
This was the situation more than 40 agencies responded to in North Vancouver Wednesday as part of a mock wildfire exercise called \u201cOperation Wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting boots on the ground and actually applying through these scenarios is critical,\u201d said Mike Danks, chief of District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services. \u201cBecause that\u2019s where we identify the gaps, and that\u2019s where we can provide strength moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The operation was structured in real-time, with firefighters, police officers, marine search and rescue crew and other emergency personnel working together to successfully put out a fire and evacuate impacted residents.<\/p>\n
A briefing was held at the Deep Cove Yacht Club Wednesday morning, where members of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue, North Shore Emergency Management, North Vancouver RCMP and others activated a marine evacuation to help the (mock) residents. Boats were deployed to homes along Indian River Drive, with RCMSAR and North Vancouver RCMP hopping on deck to help evacuees. Roughly 75 residents participated in Wednesday\u2019s drill.<\/p>\n
On land, firefighters from across the Lower Mainland, including the North Shore, Gibsons, BC Wildfire Service and Metro Vancouver Watershed Protection, teamed up to put out the blaze.<\/p>\n
Crews identified a small waterfall nearby to use as a water source, pumping water through a long hose to a sprinkler system at the site of the fire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In total, 180 people from various agencies participated in the demonstration. Working together is essential when it comes time to save real lives, said Matt Ciolfi, lead instructor of DNVFRS wildfire program and organizer of Operation Wolf.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to pre-plan as much of the real events as possible,\u201d Ciolfi said. \u201cIf we know that we can communicate well together, work together, our equipment is compatible, then we know emergencies will be smoother as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s mock scenario is a reminder that this is not just a theoretical risk, but a very real possibility in an area such as the North Shore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe attend those calls quite often,\u201d Ciolfi said about abandoned campfires in the summer. \u201cIt would only take a weather event, like wind and a bit of negligence on the part of the campfire people, for it to pick up and create a fire that could destroy millions of dollars in property and threaten people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The operation is not just preparation for wildfires, but practice on how agencies team up to smoothly and quickly respond to real-life emergencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time we work together, we get better,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen that these exercises are helping.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ciolfi urged residents who live near forest areas to check out the district\u2019s FireSmart BC home assessment<\/a>, where a specialist will visit the home and create a customized report on how to reduce wildfire risks to the property.<\/p>\n District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little said words of thanks to everyone taking part in the large-scale mock scenario.<\/p>\n \u201cWe take a great deal of pride every year in being able to produce both high quality tabletop exercises and in the field operations,\u201d Little said. \u201cEffective collaboration is a critical marker of success when it comes to responding to emergencies like this.\u201d<\/p>\n