The BC Wildfire Service says a group of community firefighters in the Shuswap have been a huge help in battling the Bush Creek East wildfire. 

Wildfire Information Officer Mike McCulley says there is a contingent of community firefighters in the Shuswap, hired and integrated with the BC Wildfire Service, to help battle on the front lines of the blaze.

“We are really happy to have them, they provide a lot of expertise, they provide extra power out on the line,” said McCulley.

“We have them integrated with our own crews – Type 1 British Columbia Wildfire Service Unit Crews and others to ensure it is safe and they understand the tactics and objectives of the day.”

McCulley says the number of community firefighters changes day to day,

“These are typically people that are hired on a STAT hired day rate, so if they have other jobs or other lives to live, they are welcome to come and go — which does provide some challenges for us — just in terms of tracking people, but nothing significant.”

McCulley says on Sunday there were eight community firefighters hired to work with the wildfire service, while 17 were working alongside crews Monday.

“We depend on them heavily, they are frontline firefighters, they’re not people who don’t understand the business.”

McCulley says the collaborative work between the community and the wildfire service is a “very important piece of work.” noting it’s quite a common partnership.

“It’s a very important piece of work, and again, it’s not uncommon to work with local folks on our fires. A lot of our equipment operators, on any fire you work on, will come from a local community,” said McCulley.

The combined efforts come after BC’s Emergency Management Minister said during a wildfire update on August 23 that the BC Wildfire Service would be reaching out to “skilled” individuals in the Shuswap to help bolster the fight against the Bush Creek East Fire.