SaintGabriel: Being a forest firefighter in Canada means knowing how to handle water spray, as well as pumps and hoses: in Quebec, as in other provinces, hundreds of new recruits are training to fight fires before the heavy fire season.
Fearing that the coming months will be apocalyptic for the world’s second largest country by geography, recruits may find it difficult to work in the wilderness.
Last year there were fires in all parts of the country, especially in Quebec. The worst wildfire season in our nation’s history came as a wake-up call, prompting hundreds of additional firefighters to prepare.
“It made me think,” Ontario told AFP.
The 36-year-old forestry technician was considering a career change, and last year’s wildfires convinced him to take the plunge.
He spent a week training near Quebec City in early May to learn firefighting techniques and how to operate equipment such as pump and hose systems. AFP was invited to observe.
Gathered in small groups around a forest lake, they flagged down their teachers as they walked through their grounds.
“We are preparing to face a more difficult season,” Forest Fire Protection Association spokesman Philip Bergeron told AFP after the extraordinary 2023 season.
Last year, hundreds of foreign firefighters from more than 20 different countries came to help Canadians face the big logistical challenges with dozens of megafires in difficult forests.
Quebec plans to hire 160 additional firefighters over two years — a 30 percent increase in manpower — to combat a longer and more intense fire season linked to global warming, Bergeron said.
Other provinces are also increasing fire department staff and budgets.
After last year, Frances Brousse, in her red heat-resistant jacket, said: “I hope we don’t have a big season because it’s a mess for equipment and staff.”
The 27-year veteran firefighter, who was deployed from April to September last year, recalled grueling work days of up to 15 or 16 hours.
In 2023, Canada is experiencing its worst fire season in history. The fire, which swept across the country from east to west, has burned more than 15 million hectares, killed eight firefighters and forced the evacuation of more than 235,000 people.
The early start of the 2024 season has raised concerns over the ongoing drought after an unusually warm winter that saw little snow. In the west, there have been several large fires in May that have forced thousands to flee their homes.
Conditions are often difficult for firefighters. Many fires occur in very remote areas that are difficult to access. Because of this, sometimes they have to drag spears hundreds of meters to put out the fire or walk several kilometers through dense brush with heavy and large tools on their backs.
A large part of the work consists of clearing or changing thick layers to prevent the spread of fire through subsurface resources if the amount is useful.
Jonathan Roque, a former mountain guide in France and sled dog guide in Quebec, relies on the spirit of the team involved in the training, although he knows “once on the ground there will be an adrenaline rush in the stress” facing the first fire.
“It will be different,” he said.
