Jason Unrau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (June 10/05) - According to Environment Canada, the country's northwestern region can expect above average temperatures this summer, which means fire crews posted here could be in for a busy season.

"Fires are difficult to predict and so far it has been pretty wet, but that can change," said Lawrence Lewis, acting forest manager for the region with the ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

"I think we are going into a hotter, dryer spell this year."

According to Lewis, the "hot season," when the danger of fire can be rated in the extreme, is generally from mid-July through the first two weeks of August.

"But there'll be a gradual rise in fire danger over the next couple of weeks," he added.

With this in mind, regional materials manager Clayton Pielak is working hard with local fire crews to make sure their equipment is ready and in working order.

"We're getting ready for the dry season," he said, adding that things are busy at the Shell Lake Base Camp preparing extra stock for emergencies. "If other regions are short on equipment, they'll draw from us."

For fire crews - made up of five members - the array of supplies necessary for going into battle are substantial. Chainsaws, waterpumps, hoses in 400-foot sections, axes and first aid kits add up to approximately 75 to 100 lbs worth of gear for each fire fighter.

Inuvik has two crews on standby, while Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic maintain one crew each.

Forest fire crew member Charlie Peter Charlie, based out of Shell Lake, has been working this seasonal job since 1987.

He said last year was relatively quiet but one can never tell what will happen from season to season.

"In the late 1980s and early 1990s there were a lot of fires in the region," he said. "There wasn't much rain back then and I think they broke a lot of records."

With relatively quiet seasons for the past two years, crews were dispatched to fight blazes in Fort Simpson and Hay River last year and to Kelowna, B.C. in 2003 to help quell the fires that threatened that city.

When asked what draws them to this line of work, the crew members agreed the work is fun and challenging. Peter Charlie and his fellow crew members insist that fighting forest fires is a 'safety first' endeavour.

"You never go rushing in," said crew leader Ernie Francis, who has worked at this job since 1994. "And you never land if the fire's too big. You knock it down with water bombers first."

All water bombers for the NWT are based out of Fort Smith.

And when there are no fires, these guys aren't just passing time. After the stockpile of gear is ready for action, fire crew members will be doing field work, such as tagging bears and collecting data for vegetation studies.

"When the boys aren't fighting fires, they're helping biologists and forestry technicians," Pielak said.