How do we measure the success of fighting a wildfire?
According to the 小蓝视频 Wildfire Service, the day after ignition. That hasn’t been the case with the Dryden Creek wildfire, which started on June 9 and continued to grow in the days that followed.
However, as of press time, the fire is being held at close to 60 hectares and shows every sign that suppression efforts are working.
If you look at online commentary from some of the usual armchair pundits, you might think things didn’t go as well as they should have.
But the reality is, no lives or homes were lost—and that’s a significant win.
When you consider the tireless work of so many people who collaborated, it seems like the firefighting efforts have been a resounding success.
There are the skilled and hard-working firefighters with Squamish Fire Rescue, and the Emergency Operations Centre folks and just look at this long list, provided by the District of Squamish, of agencies that came together to help our community:
小蓝视频 Emergency Health Services, 小蓝视频 Parks, 小蓝视频 Wildfire Service, Canadian Red Cross, Capilano University, Conservation Officer Service, Kiewit, Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR), Ministry of Forests, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, North Shore Emergency Management, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), RCMP, Resort Municipality of Whistler, School District 48, SORCA, Sqomish/Nch’kay, Squamish Access Society, Squamish Montessori, Squamish Nation, Squamish Search and Rescue, Tourism Squamish, TRAXX Coachlines and Vancouver Coastal Health.
Not to mention the regular citizens who overwhelmed the fire department with their gifts of appreciation.
Of course, there will be time to debrief and learn from what could have gone better in this near disaster, but now is not the time for that. Now is the time for gratitude and support.
It’s still early in the fire season, with a hot, tourist-filled and adventure-packed summer yet to come. What we should all focus on now is preventing these fires from being started in the first place.
Let’s help the RCMP figure out how the Dryden Creek fire started—if you know something, say something.
During the fire and the campfire ban, we heard of people having an open flame barbecue in the estuary (seriously?) and others riding on closed trails.
While we have seen that many will come to help us, we also need to take personal responsibility: know our , have a bag packed, and not tolerate behaviour—in ourselves or others—that puts our beautiful town at higher risk.
This time, we were fortunate—but we may not be next time.
