05/29/2026
During the month of May, the Ootischenia Fire Department focused training efforts on wildfire response and suppression tactics.
The month began with a mutual aid training exercise involving Robson Fire Department and BC Wildfire Service. The scenario took place near the Ootischenia landfill and simulated a fire spreading from the landfill into the surrounding forest interface. Crews practiced communicating with aerial support and coordinating attacks on both flanks in order to achieve a full wrap of the fire.
The exercise also allowed members to practice creating hose trails, setting up wildland pumps and hose lays, and simulating hose burn-overs requiring crews to quickly re-establish water supply lines under changing fire conditions.
Thank you to the Ootischenia landfill staff and contractors, the public, and BC Wildfire Service for helping make the exercise a success.
Later in the month, crews shifted focus toward interface fire operations, emphasizing fast deployment, rapid containment, and coordinated response strategies in urban-interface environments
