On the Fire Line – Inuktitut Magazine
by ahnationtalk on August 15, 2024165 Views
August 15, 2024
WHEN NOEL COCKNEY heard the news of wildfire evacuations in the Northwest Territories last summer, he went straight to the Inuvik wildfire office to see how he could help. A volunteer firefighter of four years, Cockney was already trained in fighting wildland fires. Here he recounts a two‐week deployment combatting one of many fires that devastated the western Canadian territory over the summer of 2023.
Noel Cockney:
“That fire was right around Jean Marie River, nearly two hours’ drive from Fort Simpson. Our crew went out on the fire line down in that region to help keep the fire from going all the way to the small community of Jean Marie. It was after the evacuations and the territory was asking for support. Fires are a natural thing but having that happen in and around communities is scary.
“I was driving one of the vehicles up from our base. The first day we spent bringing up all the equipment like the water pump, hoses, shovels, and axes so we were able to hold the fire. What we were doing, once we got to the water source, was putting out the fire both on the surface, as well as underneath the ground, for at least 15 feet, so no sparks would jump from the fire into the live vegetation. After that we had to figure out how to get across to the other side of the river to put out the fire that was inaccessible to our vehicles.
Read More: https://www.itk.ca/on-the-fire-line/
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Categories: | Career, Mainstream Aboriginal Related News |
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