Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (June 10/02) - Anyone who has driven to Fort Smith has seen Angus Tower soaring high above Highway 5.

Charles Kaskamin mans Angus Tower on Highway 5 in Wood Buffalo National Park. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

But most people passing by don't see Charles Kaskamin, who mans the fire tower for Wood Buffalo National Park.

Kaskamin works 24 metres up in the air, after all.

It's not a job everyone would enjoy, mainly because of the isolation. The tower is over 100 kilometres from Hay River, the nearest community.

But Kaskamin says he enjoys it. "I like the isolation."

And he explains that may be because he's from Peace Point, Alta., where only four families live.

"The fact is, I'm my own boss out here," he adds.

Despite the isolation, Kaskamin meets visitors from all over the world who stop to get a closer look at the tower. "I like talking to people from different countries, even though some of them are hard to understand."

He says the biggest question he is asked is, 'Can I climb the tower?'

This year the answer is 'No'. Previously, a person could climb at the discretion of the towerperson, but Parks Canada has issued a policy that no one is allowed to climb such towers because of liability concerns. That is unless they have special training and are authorized by a park.

Kaskamin climbs up and down the tower several times a day. "Depending on whether the fire hazard is moderate, high or extreme, I'll be up in the tower."

By the end of the summer, he jokes his legs are in great shape from all the climbing.

From the tower, Kaskamin says he can see about 100 kilometres on a clear day, and recalls a fire in the Hook Lake area, 90 kilometres away. "I saw that fire going up."

"It's the frontline," he says in describing the role of towerpersons.

"Seventy per cent of the fires spotted in the park are spotted by us."

If he spots a fire, he determines the bearing, estimates the distance and reports the information to the park's fire centre in Fort Smith.

Kaskamin started work on May 19 and will continue until the first or second week of August, depending on conditions.

He will man Angus Tower all summer, seven days a week, but can take five days off if he wants. His wife also occasionally visits for two-week periods.

Kaskamin, 45, has been working as a towerperson since 1995. In fact, manning fire towers is a bit of a family tradition. His brother is working at Caribou Tower in the park.

Kaskamin says he was introduced to fire towers when he was just seven years old when an uncle worked at the Carlson's Landing tower.

And he recalls, "I was fascinated by it."