By Tom Mark

Local Fire Chief Still On the Front Line Of Wildfire Fight

Aug 3, 2017 | 7:07 AM

BX-Swan Lake Fire Chief Bill Wacy is still heading up a section of the Provincial Co-ordination Centre in Kamloops against the wildfire fight.

Wacy is responsible for organizing the various resources from around BC dispatched to fire zones.

“We’re heading into, I wouldn’t even call it the witching hour, we’re heading into the witching week. So everybody is pretty tensed up with some pretty serious potential.”

Wacy says with lightning storms coming in and higher temperatures, it could be a make or break week.

He says a fair number of apparatus are out in two different staging units.

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Fire engines and water tenders from around the province are being spread around the regions.

“In my career it’s certainly been a watershed moment. It’s absolutely amazing the amount of work, some of these guys are working incredible long hours and it continues on. The big thing is, there’s no end in sight.”

Wacy has been in Kamloops since July 6th and doesn’t know when he’ll be back home.

He says all the local departments there are learning a lot, and teaching other departments that have never faced interface fires.

The experience they are all gaining is immense.

“I don’t mean just the fire fighting experience, but the ways and means in which the command teams come together and the fact you leave all the egos at the door.”

Wacy says despite how tired people get, everybody works as a team and are pulling through.

He adds there is one certain.

It’s not if a major fire breaks out here.

It’s when.

by Tom Mark