With so many wildfires burning around them, the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department members stayed close to home this summer.
Deputy Chief and training officer Karl Hansen said that while they did offer their services if needed to fight fires close by, they didn’t want to stray far from the community, preferring to be on standby in case the village was suddenly threatened.
Some of the”fires of note” burning nearby included those in Pavilion, Churn Creek, Flat Lake and the Chasm.
“We actually didn’t do a whole bunch out of our area this year,” Hansen said. “We weren’t really comfortable heading out anywhere far from here. Clinton is our priority especially with other fires close by. We didn’t want to leave our town short.”
The 17-member department, funded by the Village of Clinton, bolstered its ranks over the past year, following a recruitment drive in 2020. All members have since been trained up for wildfire training and Hansen said they hope to do more structure protection and interface training, likely in the spring.
“It’s something you have to be prepared for nowawdays,” Hansen said.
Hansen said the Clinton department has a good working relationship with BC Wildfire Service, which helped with some fuel management around town earlier this spring, as well over the years. The Clinton fire department mostly deals with road rescue, which makes up the bulk of its calls.
The firehall, at 309 Lebourdais Ave., was constructed in 2006 and is equipped with one Highway Rescue truck and two pumper trucks. Practices are every Monday evening at 7:00 pm. New volunteer members are always welcome. If interested, email: cvfd@village.clinton.bc.ca
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
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