Andrew McPherson knows what it means to step up when others need help.
The deputy fire chief with the Ashern Fire Department has now been deployed three times to battle wildfires in northern Manitoba – an experience he says is not for the faint of heart.
“Just knowing how many resources rural and small-town fire departments have – especially coming from one myself – there isn’t really a fighting chance to fight these fires unless you get outside resources,” McPherson said. “As firefighters, we want to help each other out and step up to the bar. If we can help others, others will hopefully help us if the situation ever arises.”
McPherson joined firefighters from Ashern, Lundar, Moosehorn, Fisher Branch and Eriksdale in responding to calls for assistance in Flin Flon, Snow Lake and Leaf Rapids earlier this summer.
During his deployments, he worked on value protection and hot spot teams, focusing on keeping structures safe from advancing flames. The Ashern crew brought a wildland truck equipped with a water tank – a key asset for fighting remote fires.
“This truck is beneficial for fighting the fires up north because it is able to take on fire surges and access areas our regular pumper trucks can’t get to,” McPherson said.
Even with that added mobility, gaining safe access to the fires was among the greatest challenges. Many areas were surrounded by swamps and bogs, with few roads.
“The wind also played a big role,” McPherson said. “You can have everything in place and next thing you know, the wind changes direction and it throws everything into chaos.”
In Flin Flon, firefighters faced winds of 60 to 70 kilometres per hour, which pushed the fire 20 kilometres further in a single day.
Snow Lake and Leaf Rapids brought different conditions – lighter gusts and some relief from heavy rainfall – but the dangers remained.
“In Flin Flon, we arrived the day the fire went through Denare Beach (Saskatchewan) and the smoke was extremely heavy,” McPherson said. “In Snow Lake, the day before we arrived it reached a category six fire – one of the highest categories given to fires – and Leaf Rapids was probably the most serious of the three, having us evacuated twice within one-and-a-half hours of us being there.
“But throughout all my deployments, the communication from leaders was great and everyone was able to work together to produce a better outcome. It just goes to show all the efforts the fire departments and towns have been doing to prevent the fires from reaching a limited number of structures.”
McPherson says he’s glad to be in a position to return the kind of help Ashern once received.
In 2018, 24 outside departments came to the community’s aid when a series of wildfires tore through the area.
“It’s a small thank you and a way for us to repay the efforts the departments gave to us when we needed the help,” McPherson said. “This is just another example of us helping out where we can – something we value as firefighters.”
