First reported the evening of Monday, July 22, the wildfires threatening Alberta’s beloved mountain town of Jasper took just two days to merge and overtake the town, burning multiple structures the night of Wednesday, July 24. Swift evacuations of nearly 25,000 people, including 5,000 residents, ensured there were no injuries or deaths associated with the incident.
Emergency responders from in and around Vermilion took up the call to serve the community. The County of Vermilion River, the Town of Vermilion, and Lakeland College’s Emergency Training Centre all sent firefighters to help in Jasper. Below, leaders of these agencies engage in a question-and-answer format, sharing their perspectives in their own words.
How did you get the call to come serve?
Kirk Hughes, County of Vermilion River Fire Chief: “The County of Vermilion River Fire Service is registered with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) as an agency capable and willing to respond to requests for assistance from the Province, and frankly, anywhere in Canada as evident from last year’s deployments to the Northwest Territories. Generally, we get contacted by the Provincial Emergency Co-ordination Centre (PECC) who request certain types of resources, such as fire apparatus and crews, and when we could deploy them. From there, we canvas our local fire districts to determine interest from our volunteers to respond and inform our elected officials. Once authorized and ready to go, they are deemed ‘deployed’ to the incident.”
Anton Krys, Town of Vermilion Fire Chief: “We are notified in the same manner as the County of Vermilion River. It was very difficult to decide whether to deploy a crew or not. With the dry weather being a factor here as well and with the increase of activities and population of the Town of Vermilion the week before the Vermilion Fair and during the fair, we had to evaluate our primary role in protecting the town and surrounding area. We decided it was best to participate with the County of Vermilion River who we have a fire agreement with and provided 1 member to respond on July 24, 2024, and we have 2 members waiting to be deployed if required.”
Lyle Lawrence, Lakeland College Emergency Training Center (ETC) Faculty Chair: “Our practice is to keep up to date with activities related to Emergency Services in Canada. We were paying particularly close attention to the situation developing in and around Jasper in the days leading up to the deployment. We knew the Province had put out a request for resources. We felt this would be an excellent opportunity to meet our goal of providing hands-on learning for our students, while helping the greater community so on the morning of July 24 we called the PECC to offer our resources. Twelve hours later, the PECC called back to request us to supply apparatus, equipment, and responders.”
How many people from the agencies were part of the response?
Hughes: “That is a hard figure to ascertain. Although the light shines brightly on those responders who are on the ground in Jasper, and rightly so, the behind-the-scenes work is instrumental in ensuring a successful deployment. Currently, the County has 4x Firefighters deployed, 2x Returned and has sent 2x Support personnel to the Townsite. The Town responded with us, sending one firefighter to serve on our County pumper from Paradise Valley. We responded together as a Regional Fire Service. Coordinating all that are employees at the County, District Fire Chiefs that are monitoring who is available to be sent in relief, which department can cover which district if a large incident occurs at home, and so many little nuances that add up throughout a deployment period. Remember, as all of that is happening, dedicated firefighters remain in the County, ready to respond to our own local emergencies as they come in.”
Krys: “I’d like to say all the members were part of the response. Just because they didn’t actually go there, when neighboring fire departments participate in assisting in incidents like this, the pressure increases on those who stay behind. Of course, our thoughts are with those that are there helping in whatever way they can. Because we are volunteer firefighters, some of the members and family members were involved due to their full-time jobs. One member is an instructor at Lakeland College’s Emergency Training Centre and responded with the class. Another member is an ATCO Power employee and is deployed by ATCO to the area. A third member is a Rogers employee and is deployed to the area. Plus several of the fire department family members were deployed because of their occupations.”
Lawrence: “On the evening of July 24, six staff members and nine students deployed with two fire engines, a water tender, an ambulance as well as three support vehicles. On July 25, another 18 students and one staff member brought another fire engine. This allowed us to operate our engines 24 hours a day, providing structural protection to the townsite of Jasper and surrounding areas. On July 28 another staff member brought out a fifth apparatus. As mentioned, the number of people from our organization who supported the response is far greater than the numbers on the ground: from the Board Members who approved our request to respond, our safety team who performed our risk assessment, to our tech staff that helped prepare our equipment, it is difficult to place a true number on how many were part of our response, but that is the strength of emergency services—we don’t respond as one person, we respond as a whole.”
Were the firefighters paid for their work?
Hughes: “Despite being labelled as ‘volunteer firefighters,’ our people are paid to respond to emergencies. When deployed to an incident, such as Jasper, they are paid hourly for their time as well as receive compensation for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses such as meals and lodgings. This is paid for by the Province, or, if the deployment is outside of Alberta, the requesting agency. It is cost neutral for the County, meaning sending responders to help our neighbours does not affect our budget at home.”
Krys: “Same response as Hughes; however, most volunteer firefighters lose money when responding to calls. They have full-time jobs or businesses that are left behind. Firefighters’ families are very understanding. A lot of family functions are put on hold when fire calls are involved.”
Lawrence: “Lakeland College’s Emergency Training Center is an emergency training facility, only recently becoming involved in emergency response, so our situation is a lot different than other service providers. All organizations approved and requested to deploy are eligible to be reimbursed for expenses incurred during the response. Our students are in a unique position compared to career or volunteer firefighters, in that they actually have paid to be part of the experience. In 2023 we deployed to assist Parkland County, the reimbursement funds were used to provide an educational bursary to our students, so effectively they were “paid” for their time. I anticipate we will again follow that model this year. It is important to note that approximately 80% of firefighters in Alberta are volunteers, and I would estimate that ratio of firefighters deployed to Jasper to be the same; our firefighters on the ground are not there for the money.”
What other organizations did you work with there?
Hughes: “Multiple partner agencies across Alberta, Canada, and the world are in Jasper to help. Our crews responded to Jasper and met up with Wainwright and Irma Fire in Edmonton, travelling to Jasper in a convoy. Once there, we crossed paths with our friends at Minburn County Fire, Vegreville Fire, and many other departments across Alberta. While working the fire, our crews would interact with Alberta Wildland Firefighters, Parks Canada, the RCMP and several private fire companies. Some of our firefighters work at Lakeland College and teach at the Emergency Training Centre; they responded with crews and trucks from that institution. The last few days have seen reinforcements arrive from the Canadian Armed Forces, Ontario Wildfire, and even Australia and Mexico.”
Krys: “Same response as Hughes. You never know who you could be working next to. It could be an organization from the same town. When an incident as big as this happens, several organizations get involved.”
Lawrence: “When we arrived, we reported to the Jasper Fire Hall to receive our first tasks. There were fire departments from across the province who had also recently arrived, too numerous to mention. But many Lakeland ETC alumni were among these groups of firefighters, and that was exciting for us to see. There were crews from the Municipality of Jasper, Parks Canada, CN Rail, ATCO, Telus, Alberta Wildfire, and many private providers all working at trying to bring the fire under control and protect the townsite and surrounding areas. The Salvation Army arrived to help local food truck operators and volunteers prepare and serve meals to the firefighters in the townsite.”
What was your crew responsible for?
Hughes: “Our crews were tasked with structural protection, which means they were on the frontlines trying to save people’s homes and businesses. The first stage of a large incident like Jasper is always the protection of lives and property, so our truck, along with all other apparatus at the townsite, worked quickly and efficiently to stop the spread of the fire while protecting the town.”
Krys: “Same response as Hughes. Firefighters will take on just about any responsibility to save lives and property.”
Lawrence: “When we first arrived, we were assigned to a task force to extinguish any remaining structure fires on the south end of the townsite and provide structural protection to the structures not yet affected. With the hydrant system out of service, water was in short supply, so one of our engines was set up as a source pumper at the river to provide water to the engines working the townsite, and our water tender was used to transport the water from the river. We also worked outside the townsite as requested to clear roads to access the many remote cabins in the area, checking for hotspots and encroaching fires. With our large workforce, we were able to accomplish many tasks, we kept busy clearing debris from the public areas, as well as tidying up the patio areas and fencing. When a reefer load of supplies arrived at the rehab site, we helped handle the pallets of food and beverage into the center to provide needed relief for the workers helping there. Some of our members joined crews from other departments to provide assistance to Firesmart homes, redeploy sprinkler systems, and clean up hose lines.”
How long were you there?
Hughes: “As of July 30th, a crew of firefighters from the County, alongside others, are still active in the Town. The threat is from the northwest corner, where the fire is still burning. The concern is that the fire behaviour might pick up and the potential exists for it to come back on the town. So, our crews are working to strengthen the defensive line in that sector.”
Krys: “Our member is still on scene. Today (Wednesday, July 31) will be day 8 for this member.”
Lawrence: “We deployed on July 24th and arrived home on the morning of July 30.”
Any memorable moments or lessons learned?
Hughes: “Jasper is a national treasure, and when the call came in our firefighters were quick to respond. There are always lessons to be learned, but the key takeaway is that our neighbours and fellow Albertans needed help—and we went to their aid.”
Krys: “There are always lessons learned. Fortunately, with the quick evacuation, everyone got out safely. Quick response is the key to protecting lives and property. It’s sad that so much was lost, but we have to remember how much was saved.”
Lawrence: “As this was the majority of our student’s first working fire, nearly every moment became memorable and will be ingrained in them for a lifetime. It was inspiring to see our students apply the lessons learned in the training field in the real world to adapt, overcome, push through, and persevere time and time again. The lesson I think they learned, and that is very hard to teach, is how tight of a community the fire service is, and the satisfaction for a job well done far exceeds the monetary remuneration.”
Is there anything else you’d like to include?
Hughes: Just a big thank you to all those that support our Fire Service, from our community fundraisers to our ratepayers and volunteers, their contributions allow us to pivot in times of emergency. As County Fire Chief, I want to express my appreciation to all the County Fire stations and departments that have contributed to this deployment, whether by sending crews, trucks, or by standing by, they make these deployments work.
Krys: The Town of Vermilion Fire Department has a primary role of protecting the public and property in the Town of Vermilion and surrounding area. When emergencies happen outside of our fire area, we are always assessing the situation and doing what’s best for our fire protection area first and then if able to provide assistance, we will. The Town of Vermilion was very supportive of the decisions made by the Vermilion Fire Department during this emergency.
Lawrence: Jasper is a special place to many Albertans. This town was protected by a department of dedicated volunteers who worked themselves to exhaustion to evacuate their residents and protect their infrastructure, many of them losing their own homes and businesses while saving others; they never left their post until help arrived. They did us proud. Across the Province we rely heavily on volunteer firefighters, in a time when every community is struggling to find volunteers. We need people to step up, and we need to continue to provide the best training to maximize every resource we have.
Comments