Volunteer firefighters in southern Alberta are taking leave from their full-time jobs to head north to help fight wildfires. Scott Waldie is a captain with the Coalhurst Volunteer Fire Department who is heading to the Edson area for his second shift.
“The gratitude that we get from people up there, especially when they see Coalhurst on the side of a truck, or Coaldale, Nobleford, Stirling or Picture Butte, the first thing they ask is where are you from and they are just so appreciative of us coming from the south to help out and they greet us with cookies, they bring us water—anything that we need,” he said.
Waldie said he is used to fighting wildland and grass fires in his 21 years as a firefighter in Coalhurstm but admits seeing forestry destroyed was a unique experience in his career thus far.
“Our biggest responsibility that we had because we had rain, so we were trying to be really proactive. We were setting up pumps and sprinklers around homes that could be saved and properties that could be saved,” he said, adding he expects this week to be a different atmosphere with heat and wind in the forecast.
“It’s an honour to be up there — we are proud to be up there, we are proud to help any way we can. Whether it’s just supporting a station so that other crews can go out or doing whatever, there is no useless job in this type of environment, even if you are not on the frontline doing something, it’s all valuable work,” he said.
As of the morning of May 15, the province reported 89 active wildfires, 23 of which are considered out of control.