Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Aug 26/05) - Being thanked by her Ontario brethren made a big impact on seasonal firefighter Jennifer Kraus.

Brent Squirrel puts his gear inside his locker at the Nogha Fire Suppression office. Squirrel was one of 10 Fort Simpson fire crew members to spend part of August in Ontario battling forest fires.

She was one of 10 Fort Simpson fire crew members who came to the aid of the beleaguered towns of Chapleau and Cochrane earlier this month.

"It made me feel good because I know I can contribute in some way," she said. "It makes me feel good when people come up to you and say, Well thank you for giving us a hand."

Two Nogha crews returned to Fort Simpson on Aug. 19 after a few weeks of duty in Ontario. Kraus, who is on the Nogha 2 crew, said the Ontario fires were smaller than others she has combatted, but noted the blazes threatened cottages and were treated very seriously.

"You try to get to the fire as quickly as you can and give 'er all you've got," she said.

'Happy' to help

Brent Squirrel and his Nogha 1 colleagues were dispatched to Pembroke. They worked alongside crews from elsewhere in Ontario, the Yukon and Alberta.

"I was happy to go," said Squirrel.

They camped two nights while fighting one blaze and spent a day tackling another. Some of their 19 days were passed simply waiting until their turn came up in the rotation and they were again called into action.

Squirrel, who has been a seasonal firefighter for three years, said he noticed that the wind isn't as big a factor in Ontario forest fires. The trees are so large and densely packed that it doesn't allow much wind to sweep the forest floor, he explained.

Fortunately, the weather eventually became the firefighters' ally.

"Where we were, it was busy for a bit and then slowed down because it got kind of chilly out," said Kraus, who has been deployed to Fort McMurray, Alta., Clearwater, B.C., Norman Wells and Frank Channel over the years.