Minister commends firefighters for assisting with forest fires in British Columbia

Forest Resources and Agrifoods Minister Rick Woodford today commended firefighters in his department who have recently returned to the province from British Columbia after helping fight the devastating forest fires in that province.

Minister Woodford welcomed the forest firefighters back to the province and praised their efforts. "I am glad to see our forest firefighters back home, safe and sound. I commend them for their dedicated effort in helping the horrendous forest fire situation in British Columbia," said Minister Woodford. "We are proud of our firefighters who were very willing to travel across the country to provide their expertise to the fire suppression effort in British Columbia as soon as the request for additional resources was made."

Two 10-person crews from this province travelled to British Columbia to join their counterparts from across Canada in assisting with the forest fires. The first combined Newfoundland and Labrador/Nova Scotia crew was primarily deployed in the vicinity of the community of Ashcroft and designated with the important responsibility of being an initial attack crew. The second crew was also partnered with crews from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and deployed to an area near Kootney National Park where they were designated as a sustained action crew.

The minister added, "All firefighters in our department are highly skilled and professional and I commend them for their diligent work every forest fire season in protecting the public and our outdoor resources. Indeed, the deployment of 20 of our forest fire suppression team to British Columbia clearly demonstrates the true professionalism and high calibre of our department�s firefighters."

Media contact: Sonia Glover, Communications, (709) 729-6183

2003 09 03                                        2:30 p.m.