This specialized tractor trailer unit and its Canada Task Force 1 team is in West Kelowna to quickly assess how much damage was done by the McDougall Creek Wildfire.
Image Credit: Submitted/Canada Task Force 1
August 21, 2023 - 6:00 PM
A special search and rescue team based out of Vancouver should have a very good idea by the end of the day of how many homes were destroyed or damaged by the McDougall Creek Wildfire in and around West Kelowna.
“We’re hoping to complete the lion’s share of the work today,” Justin Mulcahy, director of Canada Task Force 1, told iNFOnews.ca from West Kelowna today, Aug. 21. “This is the end of our second rotation period. We anticipate having surveyed, in some capacity, around 3,000 residences and conducting actual assessments of possibly 500 of those.”
That doesn’t mean 500 homes were lost or even seriously damaged, just that they were assessed for damage.
Earlier today, West Kelowna Fire Rescue Chief Jason Brolund said a minimum of 50 structures were damaged. Social media postings show major damage to Traders Cove and Lake Okanagan Resort from the McDougall Creek Wildfire.
READ MORE: At least 50 structures damaged or destroyed in West Kelowna
Canada Task Force 1 is actually a “heavy urban search and rescue” team that, for example, came to Kelowna in 2021 when a tower crane collapsed killing five men, one of whom was buried under rubble in a neighbouring building.
But search and rescue is not their job this time.
“Because of what we do in terms of search and how we organize our searches, that’s why we’re being utilized to do geographic damage assessment,” Mulcahy said. “That’s something we have a lot of training in.”
There have been no reports of anyone missing in the fire but a search dog unit is part of the 20-person team that drove up with a tractor-trailer unit on Sunday, just in case.
“The RCMP has had no reports of missing persons at this time but there were also people who refused to leave their residences and we need to, potentially, search some of the damaged structures to make sure there was no loss of life,” Mulcahy said.
They will not search undamaged homes and just assess those that are damaged.
“Every (response) region here is working tirelessly to solve really complicated problems and do everything in their power to give clarity to residents who have been displaced by this natural disaster,” Mulcahy said. “So, really, what we’re doing is accelerating the process.
“A lot of these areas are highly unsafe to go to. There’s downed power lines. There’s danger trees. There’s service disruptions. There’s also gas and water issues. What we’re attempting to do is, as quickly as possible, a rapid assessment of all these areas so that we can release the information to the public and start the recovery process.”
Mulcahy doesn’t know yet if the team will be asked to assess damage in Kelowna (where about five homes are damaged or destroyed) and Lake Country (where two or three are known to be damaged or destroyed).
It’s not equipped to do cleanup operations like removing danger trees or repairing power lines.
The team is totally self-sufficient bringing its own base, accommodations, paramedics, medical facilities, food, water and more.
The team is one of six in Canada and brings together specialists from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, Vancouver Police Department, City of Vancouver (Engineering and Parks Board), BC Emergency Health Services and independent engineers and physicians.
It was called to New Orleans in 2006 in response to Hurricane Katrina, to the Fort McMurray Wildfire in 2016, BC wildfires in 2017 and has responded to things like mudslides, collapsed buildings and the Sumas flooding of 2021.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.
News from © iNFOnews, 2023