Town and county firefighters deployed to Fort McMurray to battle an out of control wildfire are home after crews were officially recalled late last week.
The last of the firefighters returned to Westlock with the town’s fire engine on Friday, May 13, over a week after they were given one hour’s notice to move on May 4.
All in all, it was a successful mission and town fire chief Stuart Koflick couldn’t have been prouder to send his members.
“That’s what we’re trained to do. We’re a volunteer fire department and we’re here because we want to help,” Koflick said.
“When you have the magnitude of the disaster that we had, we had to restrain these guys from wanting to try and help.”
The firefighters painted a harrowing tale of a city ravaged by fire.
“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s basically something you have to see to understand,” said Todd Terrault, who lives in Busby but works in Fort McMurray.
“It didn’t matter which way we looked, the fire was coming at us … “the beast” as everyone was calling it was strong.”
“It’s really hard to describe. You see the pictures and you see the devastation, but there are some spots where the houses are still standing,” said Joanne Plamondon, who was raised in Fort McMurray.
In total, 16 firefighters were sent to Fort McMurray in two waves.
The first crew deployed May 4 included the town’s Dan Lucyk, Bill Smith, Stephen Walker and Terry Herrick and the county’s Mark Feitsma, Todd Terrault, Mike Mielke, Perry Lumayko and Jared Stitsen.
Over the weekend Joanne Plamondon, Kris Olsen and Rick Duiker from the town and Danielle Terrault, Glenn Ward, Derek Schlacter and Adam Graham from the county, along with the municipality’s Engine 6, relieved the first crew.
“The initial request was only for manpower so we sent them in a pick-up,” Koflick said.
“Once our crews arrived on scene, it was soon realized that they needed a pumper up there as well.”
The local crews and equipment joined a pool of hundreds of firefighters from across Canada.
They helped manage to save what officials estimate to be 85 per cent of the city and most of the critical infrastructure.
Terrault first fought the fire alongside the Saprae Creek Fire Department, a hamlet near Fort McMurray, before coming home to Busby and returned with his own department.
His wife Danielle joined him when she came up as part of the second Westlock County crew.
“I had mixed feelings on that. I love working next to her, it was great fighting fires next to her — she’s a talented firefighter,” he said.
“But she’s always been my link to home, that link that’s tied to how my family is doing, so it was kind of weird having that link next to me … but I’d fight a million fires next to her.”
Lucyk, who’s the town’s deputy chief, said while it was a devastating experience, it was a well coordinated mission with multitudes of organizations working seamlessly.
“It was actually quite remarkable. Even some of the areas that aren’t necessarily recognized like the dozer operators, water haulers … the people providing food,” Lucyk said.
“In an event like this you see how areas band together for the greater good to accomplish what needs to be done.”
Plamondon said while there were some trying times, crews were able to save the city.
“There were a couple scary times where the trees would burn up in your face and you kind of second guess going into the bush,” she said.
“It was the right move and we saved some homes, which was a huge positive.”
