Canada Task Force 1 in assisting with the fires in the Central Okanagan. (submitted image)

By Kevin Rothwell

damage assessments underway

Canada Task Force 1 arrives in Okanagan to help with fires

Aug 20, 2023 | 12:35 PM

West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund has requested and received approval for the deployment of Canada Task Force 1 to start dealing with the aftermath of the Central Okanagan fires.

Canada Task Force 1 (CANTF1) is based in Vancouver. It is a team of approximately 130 members with specialized training and experience. It consists of staff from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, Vancouver Police Department, City of Vancouver (Engineering & Parks Board), BC Emergency Health Services and independent engineers and physicians.

“An incredible number of trained professionals. There will be up to 50 of them on the ground. I briefed the first wave that arrived this morning and this team is bringing incredible expertise and horsepower,” Brolund said.

CANTF1 can be completely self-sufficient, providing its own base of operations, accommodations, medical facilities, food, water, power, communications, and equipment. This eliminates putting more strain on a government or community that is already in distress.

“Their mission is to help us stabilize the incident, to conduct searches and rapid damage assessment,” Brolund explained. “These teams are out in the neighbourhoods, they are conducting an inventory of properties that have been lost and damaged. They are conducting search operations where we need to have search operations conducted. They are helping us stabilize utilities that need to be shut off and what we need to do to make then neighbourhoods safe.”

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There have been no reports of any missing persons.

“So as this data starts to stream in from the field, the planning work is underway on how we will begin to report on the numbers of loss and how we commence notifications to people who have experienced loss. That is going to be a very difficult process both logistically and emotionally,” Brolund noted.

There has been a significant wait for people seeking emergency support services.

“We are taking steps to try improve that including providing real time information on which groups are being registered. I will share with the public that my family is in the same line that you are, and we are standing there with you to complete that registration process, so please be patient,” Brolund said.