Lyonel Doherty

Times-Chronicle

One hour.

We challenge anyone, in this heat, to merely stand at the edge of a burning forest. Just soak up that heat and feel it start entering every pore of your body.

Now, grab that pulaski (axe) and start raking the earth to make a guard in hopes the fire won’t jump over it like a kid jumping over a crack in the pavement.

Getting tired? Want to go home? Come on, you’ve only been at it for one hour. Okay, here comes the smoke. Try not to breathe that in while the flames get closer and the wind picks up.

Thirsty? Have a drink and get your butt back to work. This ain’t no yacht club. There are people relying on you to save their homes from burning to the ground.

Fifteen minutes go by and you look at your watch again as the pouring sweat stings your eyes. If you don’t jump in someone’s pool soon you’re going to wither up and expire.

One hour. Maybe two. That’s how long you last before you throw in the towel and crawl back to your air-conditioned home for a cool shower and nap. Meanwhile, the real fire tamers have 15 hours to go before they’re finished for the day. Fifteen hours compared to your one.

These super dedicated men and woman face unbelievable conditions on the front lines. Why they subject themselves to such danger in an arduous career is beyond fathom. It must all come down to passion and a sense of duty to go where nobody else wants to. They’re compelled to be the one to stand against adversity – a monster that threatens all of us every summer. They can’t stand idle and watch fire destroy their communities. It’s their job and they do it extremely well.

But when people take to social media and say these crews aren’t doing enough, it really hurts. Everyone knows there are not enough resources to adequately action every fire this summer. 

When homeowners defy evacuation orders and stay behind to defend their properties, they not only jeopardize their own safety but the safety of fire crews as well. And when these homeowners don’t see aircraft dropping water on their doorsteps they criticize BC Wildfire for not doing enough. This is a real blow to their morale and it affects them deeply after the countless hours of blood, sweat and tears they’ve put into fighting these flaming beasts.

Our firefighters are some of the best in the world and are sacrificing a great deal to save our communities from disaster. 

One hour.