1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,670 [♪♪♪] 2 00:00:08,975 --> 00:00:10,310 [♪♪♪] 3 00:00:26,226 --> 00:00:29,596 [Tom] In firefighting, there are no unimportant jobs. 4 00:00:31,998 --> 00:00:34,267 Parachute packing takes that to the next level, 5 00:00:34,401 --> 00:00:35,602 because the person really, 6 00:00:35,735 --> 00:00:37,771 like rigging gear for rock climbing or anything, 7 00:00:37,904 --> 00:00:38,772 people's lives depend on it. 8 00:00:47,147 --> 00:00:48,548 There's artistry 9 00:00:48,681 --> 00:00:50,717 in the intricacy of packing parachutes. 10 00:00:52,218 --> 00:00:54,521 There is a system, 11 00:00:54,654 --> 00:00:56,756 but you can get to the end of that system your own way, 12 00:00:56,890 --> 00:00:58,858 and I think people do have little things 13 00:00:58,992 --> 00:01:00,627 they do slightly differently, 14 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:01,494 but bottom line 15 00:01:01,628 --> 00:01:03,396 is that every little step of that 16 00:01:03,530 --> 00:01:06,800 has to be done... perfect. 17 00:01:12,672 --> 00:01:16,242 I'll put it in nice so that it comes out nice. 18 00:01:17,877 --> 00:01:18,711 [Tom] When you really rely on someone else, 19 00:01:18,845 --> 00:01:21,981 it just makes it that much more of a bond. 20 00:01:24,784 --> 00:01:25,952 The first time they pack a parachute 21 00:01:26,085 --> 00:01:27,287 that can go on the shelf for someone else, 22 00:01:27,420 --> 00:01:29,589 you often hear people nervous about it, 23 00:01:29,722 --> 00:01:32,325 because they know now somebody they know, 24 00:01:32,459 --> 00:01:33,460 a friend, a colleague, 25 00:01:33,593 --> 00:01:34,828 is going to put that on their back 26 00:01:34,961 --> 00:01:35,829 and jump out of the plane, 27 00:01:35,962 --> 00:01:37,063 and that's quite a mind game for people. 28 00:01:50,276 --> 00:01:53,613 [♪♪♪] 29 00:02:25,145 --> 00:02:26,479 [♪♪♪] 30 00:02:26,613 --> 00:02:27,213 [watch alarm beeping] 31 00:02:41,661 --> 00:02:46,399 Uh, we are setting up the pump hose 32 00:02:46,533 --> 00:02:49,869 for fitness this morning. 33 00:02:50,003 --> 00:02:51,571 It's 5:20 in the morning, 34 00:02:51,704 --> 00:02:53,239 and the students will be coming out at 6:00 35 00:02:53,373 --> 00:02:57,677 to do some fitness before their classrooms. 36 00:03:00,046 --> 00:03:01,514 Every year, 37 00:03:01,648 --> 00:03:04,884 we have an influx of new people who come into Wildfire. 38 00:03:05,018 --> 00:03:08,021 Part of their mandatory training is some bootcamps 39 00:03:08,154 --> 00:03:09,489 where we give them their fundamental training 40 00:03:09,622 --> 00:03:11,524 for the course of the season. 41 00:03:11,658 --> 00:03:13,993 It is a week-long interview 42 00:03:14,127 --> 00:03:18,031 to where you are gonna end up in B.C. Wildfire. 43 00:03:19,232 --> 00:03:22,068 It's pretty intensive, and for some individuals, 44 00:03:22,201 --> 00:03:25,572 I think it's quite a bit harder than they were expecting. 45 00:03:25,705 --> 00:03:26,205 It's definitely not for everyone, 46 00:03:26,339 --> 00:03:28,274 but that's the point. 47 00:03:28,408 --> 00:03:31,578 Not everyone can be a wildland firefighter, 48 00:03:31,711 --> 00:03:32,245 and this will show me who is built for it 49 00:03:32,378 --> 00:03:34,080 and who isn't. 50 00:03:34,213 --> 00:03:37,317 [clock alarm beeping] 51 00:03:39,852 --> 00:03:40,353 You all ready? 52 00:03:40,486 --> 00:03:42,021 Let's roll! 53 00:03:42,155 --> 00:03:42,188 [♪♪♪] 54 00:03:44,591 --> 00:03:46,593 Don't leave any regrets on my tarmac! 55 00:03:46,726 --> 00:03:48,261 I don't want to see any regrets left out here 56 00:03:48,394 --> 00:03:49,529 once we cool down and go home. 57 00:03:49,662 --> 00:03:51,297 Yeah! 58 00:03:51,431 --> 00:03:52,231 Whoa! 59 00:03:52,365 --> 00:03:53,299 It hurts! 60 00:03:53,433 --> 00:03:55,802 There's a flicker of doubt, 61 00:03:55,935 --> 00:03:57,704 and we just fuckin' hammer through. 62 00:03:57,837 --> 00:04:00,206 [laughing] Yeah! We're ready! Whoo! 63 00:04:00,340 --> 00:04:02,241 [Kelly] That's Sam. 64 00:04:02,375 --> 00:04:03,242 He's the head instructor here at bootcamp, 65 00:04:03,376 --> 00:04:05,945 and he's a bit of a badass. 66 00:04:06,079 --> 00:04:07,213 [Sam] Feel the burn while it's light! 67 00:04:07,347 --> 00:04:10,116 Get it while it's light! Let's go! 68 00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:11,317 Here we go! 69 00:04:11,451 --> 00:04:12,285 [Kelly] All right, and... turn, turn. 70 00:04:12,418 --> 00:04:14,387 Turn and burn, go hard while it's light. 71 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:15,989 Go hard while it's light. 72 00:04:17,257 --> 00:04:18,324 Nice! 73 00:04:18,458 --> 00:04:19,959 Drive! Drive! 74 00:04:20,093 --> 00:04:21,494 Right here, right here, right here, right here! 75 00:04:21,628 --> 00:04:22,262 And... turn, turn. 76 00:04:22,395 --> 00:04:24,797 Good job! Good job. 77 00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:25,932 [♪♪♪] 78 00:04:26,065 --> 00:04:26,733 [blowing whistle] 79 00:04:26,866 --> 00:04:28,735 [Kelly] We have four stations. 80 00:04:28,868 --> 00:04:30,737 This is the one that's my personal favourite, 81 00:04:30,870 --> 00:04:32,138 the pump hose, 82 00:04:32,271 --> 00:04:34,407 which is kind of the historical fitness test 83 00:04:34,540 --> 00:04:35,141 that we used to do. 84 00:04:35,274 --> 00:04:37,143 It kind of feels like 85 00:04:37,276 --> 00:04:39,312 you want to cough up blood the entire time. 86 00:04:39,445 --> 00:04:41,648 Gives them a little bit of a history lesson 87 00:04:41,781 --> 00:04:42,348 as they grind out in the morning here. 88 00:04:45,618 --> 00:04:47,420 We can do this if we just hammer through. 89 00:04:47,553 --> 00:04:49,122 Right here! 90 00:04:49,255 --> 00:04:51,324 Drive! Drive! Drive! 91 00:04:51,457 --> 00:04:52,792 [Kelly] It gets me fired up for the season 92 00:04:52,925 --> 00:04:54,260 to just see these fresh faces come in... 93 00:04:54,394 --> 00:04:57,363 Nice work! Nice work! Keep going. 94 00:04:57,497 --> 00:05:01,000 ...just really make them a part of my team. 95 00:05:01,134 --> 00:05:02,035 Nice work! 96 00:05:02,168 --> 00:05:03,603 Keep those legs movin'! 97 00:05:03,736 --> 00:05:06,472 [Sam] Get there! Get there! Yes! 98 00:05:06,606 --> 00:05:08,708 -Nice! Nice! Nice! -Good job! Good job! 99 00:05:16,983 --> 00:05:19,452 Intention, integrity, and grit! 100 00:05:19,585 --> 00:05:21,354 We're getting to the grit, 101 00:05:21,487 --> 00:05:23,022 so we want to see everything you have 102 00:05:23,156 --> 00:05:24,657 on this hillside! 103 00:05:24,791 --> 00:05:25,291 Let's go! 104 00:05:25,425 --> 00:05:27,326 [♪♪♪] 105 00:05:27,460 --> 00:05:29,362 [shouting] Come on! 106 00:05:29,495 --> 00:05:30,863 [Kelly] This is a training exercise 107 00:05:30,997 --> 00:05:32,398 where they have to cut hand guard, 108 00:05:32,532 --> 00:05:33,733 and it's pretty obvious 109 00:05:33,866 --> 00:05:34,534 that many of them have never done this before, 110 00:05:34,667 --> 00:05:37,537 but that doesn't really matter. 111 00:05:37,670 --> 00:05:39,238 So what I look for 112 00:05:39,372 --> 00:05:42,075 is more for the character of the individuals. 113 00:05:42,208 --> 00:05:43,409 I can teach them to be good firefighters 114 00:05:43,543 --> 00:05:45,945 once they get to my work unit... 115 00:05:46,346 --> 00:05:50,383 but it's the intangibles of who they are as individuals 116 00:05:50,516 --> 00:05:52,351 and how they integrate onto my team 117 00:05:52,485 --> 00:05:53,386 that I'm really looking for. 118 00:05:53,519 --> 00:05:54,320 Nice work. 119 00:05:54,454 --> 00:05:56,723 So again, too, like, 120 00:05:56,856 --> 00:06:00,493 you see how we're already kinda doin' this? 121 00:06:00,626 --> 00:06:02,428 You want that nice straight line, okay? 122 00:06:02,562 --> 00:06:04,097 We're aiming for that bit of road 123 00:06:04,230 --> 00:06:07,567 that we can see right down there, okay? 124 00:06:07,700 --> 00:06:09,602 If we don't have an effective guard, 125 00:06:09,736 --> 00:06:11,571 it ain't worth jack shit. 126 00:06:11,704 --> 00:06:13,439 This is kind of like a week-long interview, 127 00:06:13,573 --> 00:06:15,408 so the people who really want it 128 00:06:15,541 --> 00:06:18,411 will show it at bootcamp. 129 00:06:18,544 --> 00:06:20,813 [♪♪♪] 130 00:06:26,919 --> 00:06:27,920 [reporter] Canada's wildfire season 131 00:06:28,054 --> 00:06:31,190 is now officially the worst ever recorded... 132 00:06:31,324 --> 00:06:32,458 [reporter] ...was the most destructive wildfire season 133 00:06:32,592 --> 00:06:33,893 in B.C.'s history... 134 00:06:34,026 --> 00:06:34,961 [reporter] ...about 5,000 wildfire fighters 135 00:06:35,094 --> 00:06:36,629 from around the world have joined... 136 00:06:36,763 --> 00:06:39,565 [reporter] ...7.5 million hectares have burned... 137 00:06:39,699 --> 00:06:40,800 [reporter] ...record-breaking destruction 138 00:06:40,933 --> 00:06:42,468 and heartbreaking loss.... 139 00:06:42,602 --> 00:06:43,870 [reporter] ...an exhausting and difficult season 140 00:06:44,003 --> 00:06:47,039 taking its toll on firefighters... 141 00:06:47,173 --> 00:06:48,808 [♪♪♪] 142 00:07:03,723 --> 00:07:06,492 [Kelly] Good morning, everybody, officially. 143 00:07:06,626 --> 00:07:07,927 We're getting further into the season. 144 00:07:08,060 --> 00:07:10,830 I know, historically, August 9th 145 00:07:10,963 --> 00:07:14,167 is kind of when fire season is starting to really ramp up, 146 00:07:14,300 --> 00:07:17,904 um, and we're already kind of on our fifth deployment 147 00:07:18,037 --> 00:07:19,105 right now, okay? 148 00:07:19,238 --> 00:07:21,474 So hopefully everybody had some good days off, 149 00:07:21,607 --> 00:07:22,842 got some rest. 150 00:07:22,975 --> 00:07:25,812 Hopefully you can kind of keep hitting the ground hard 151 00:07:25,945 --> 00:07:27,480 like we have been all season, okay? 152 00:07:27,613 --> 00:07:30,516 I supervise a 22-person crew. 153 00:07:30,650 --> 00:07:33,419 We generally take the larger incidents 154 00:07:33,553 --> 00:07:34,420 within Wildfire, 155 00:07:34,554 --> 00:07:36,456 so what we know as project fires. 156 00:07:36,589 --> 00:07:38,858 Oh, we got Dennis Rexin in here. 157 00:07:38,991 --> 00:07:39,692 Hey. 158 00:07:39,826 --> 00:07:40,993 Uh, for everybody, uh, 159 00:07:41,127 --> 00:07:42,328 Dennis Rexin, if you haven't met him, 160 00:07:42,461 --> 00:07:45,164 uh, Deputy Fire Centre Manager. 161 00:07:45,298 --> 00:07:46,966 Any words for the crew? 162 00:07:47,099 --> 00:07:49,135 I really want the crew to know 163 00:07:49,268 --> 00:07:51,537 that, um, we're here to support you. 164 00:07:51,671 --> 00:07:53,005 Uh, we are starting to see 165 00:07:53,139 --> 00:07:56,108 a lot of impacts of the busy season on folks 166 00:07:56,242 --> 00:07:57,310 in all areas, 167 00:07:57,443 --> 00:08:00,146 both mentally and physically, 168 00:08:00,279 --> 00:08:00,880 so with that, 169 00:08:01,013 --> 00:08:03,115 we have had a few incidents, 170 00:08:03,249 --> 00:08:03,716 a few concerns. 171 00:08:03,850 --> 00:08:06,285 Um, fatigue is real. 172 00:08:06,419 --> 00:08:08,855 It's not something that we just power through, 173 00:08:08,988 --> 00:08:11,624 so please make sure that we're touching bases 174 00:08:11,757 --> 00:08:14,160 with everyone on the crew. 175 00:08:14,293 --> 00:08:14,994 Okay. Have a safe trip. 176 00:08:15,127 --> 00:08:17,363 -Appreciate that. -Thanks, Dennis. 177 00:08:17,497 --> 00:08:18,397 Invermere is where we're heading, 178 00:08:18,531 --> 00:08:23,536 so N2-2243, the Horsethief fire, 179 00:08:23,669 --> 00:08:26,005 and kind of replacing the Monashee Unit Crew 180 00:08:26,138 --> 00:08:27,507 that had been doing some work on this fire 181 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:29,842 over the last couple weeks, okay? 182 00:08:29,976 --> 00:08:31,511 Let's, uh, go load up. 183 00:08:31,644 --> 00:08:32,879 Make sure you do your idiot checks 184 00:08:33,012 --> 00:08:34,146 so that we don't forget anything, 185 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:35,481 and then we'll do a radio roll here 186 00:08:35,615 --> 00:08:36,549 in a couple of minutes, okay? 187 00:08:36,682 --> 00:08:37,984 Thanks, everybody. 188 00:08:41,454 --> 00:08:41,520 [♪♪♪] 189 00:08:52,064 --> 00:08:54,934 All right, let's start the, uh, radio roll here. 190 00:09:14,687 --> 00:09:16,355 [Kelly] When I started this job, 191 00:09:16,489 --> 00:09:17,623 I planned on Wildfire 192 00:09:17,757 --> 00:09:20,626 to be maybe four years as I was going to school, 193 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:21,594 and then I would get onto 194 00:09:21,727 --> 00:09:24,430 the kinda next chapter of my life. 195 00:09:24,563 --> 00:09:25,798 The thing is 196 00:09:25,932 --> 00:09:28,567 that once I actually got into Wildfire, 197 00:09:28,701 --> 00:09:30,036 the relationships that I've built 198 00:09:30,169 --> 00:09:33,406 is just what has kept me coming back year after year, 199 00:09:33,539 --> 00:09:35,041 and I love it so much 200 00:09:35,174 --> 00:09:37,777 that here I am with a four-year plan 201 00:09:37,910 --> 00:09:39,879 15 years later. 202 00:09:43,683 --> 00:09:46,185 [helicopter whirring] 203 00:09:47,286 --> 00:09:49,088 This is a large fire, about 2,900 hectares. 204 00:09:49,221 --> 00:09:52,725 It's been burning for a couple weeks now. 205 00:09:54,427 --> 00:09:57,596 Some really good unit crews have been doing great work. 206 00:09:57,730 --> 00:09:58,831 Unfortunately, they're timing out, 207 00:09:58,965 --> 00:10:00,566 so we're brought in to relieve them 208 00:10:00,700 --> 00:10:02,335 and then carry on 209 00:10:02,468 --> 00:10:04,637 with the operations on this incident. 210 00:10:04,770 --> 00:10:06,806 The plan is to create 211 00:10:06,939 --> 00:10:08,407 what's called a fuel-free line. 212 00:10:08,541 --> 00:10:10,810 This means removing anything that's in the fire's path 213 00:10:10,943 --> 00:10:11,677 that it could potentially feed on, 214 00:10:11,811 --> 00:10:14,246 the timber, undergrowth, roots, 215 00:10:14,380 --> 00:10:16,449 anything that burns. 216 00:10:16,582 --> 00:10:18,851 This creates what's called a control line, 217 00:10:18,985 --> 00:10:20,820 and then when the weather conditions are right, 218 00:10:20,953 --> 00:10:23,322 namely the wind is blowing away from the lines, 219 00:10:23,456 --> 00:10:26,592 we'll do a controlled burn-off to widen that fuel-free. 220 00:10:26,726 --> 00:10:28,361 That way, we get a nice clean line 221 00:10:28,494 --> 00:10:29,528 where we've removed the fuel 222 00:10:29,662 --> 00:10:31,297 that we can work off of. 223 00:10:31,430 --> 00:10:33,099 That's always gonna be a more effective way 224 00:10:33,232 --> 00:10:34,734 to fight fire. 225 00:10:37,803 --> 00:10:38,971 So we'll go down 226 00:10:39,105 --> 00:10:40,940 and just kind of make a line that makes sense. 227 00:10:41,073 --> 00:10:42,541 To me, it doesn't look too crazy, 228 00:10:42,675 --> 00:10:43,509 and it's, like, we just tie it into this... 229 00:10:43,643 --> 00:10:45,711 this rock bluff here. 230 00:10:45,845 --> 00:10:47,647 We should be pretty good. 231 00:10:47,780 --> 00:10:49,482 Just make sure it's safe. 232 00:10:53,653 --> 00:10:54,687 So this fire 233 00:10:54,820 --> 00:10:57,823 has incredibly difficult terrain to work in. 234 00:10:57,957 --> 00:10:58,991 [helicopter whirring] 235 00:10:59,125 --> 00:11:00,192 We're in the Rocky Mountains, 236 00:11:00,326 --> 00:11:04,163 so a lot of terrain inaccessible to ground personnel. 237 00:11:05,798 --> 00:11:06,699 We're just gonna have to start 238 00:11:06,832 --> 00:11:09,568 basically planning for Plan B. 239 00:11:09,702 --> 00:11:14,006 It's really cool to work with my older brother, Connor. 240 00:11:14,140 --> 00:11:14,774 He's really good at his job, 241 00:11:14,907 --> 00:11:18,144 and he does make my life easy, 242 00:11:18,277 --> 00:11:19,745 but I get to boss him around, 243 00:11:19,879 --> 00:11:22,882 which is the best. [laughing] 244 00:11:23,015 --> 00:11:25,017 Load up the trucks, we'll do a radio roll, 245 00:11:25,151 --> 00:11:26,585 then we're gonna head back to main staging. 246 00:11:26,719 --> 00:11:29,755 [Connor] I'm the second in command. 247 00:11:29,889 --> 00:11:33,159 Kelly took my spot on the crew when I left for a few years, 248 00:11:33,292 --> 00:11:34,126 and I came back, 249 00:11:34,260 --> 00:11:35,494 and he was pretty much running the show, 250 00:11:35,628 --> 00:11:38,497 which made the first year or two, uh... difficult. 251 00:11:38,631 --> 00:11:40,833 I see we gotta... 252 00:11:40,966 --> 00:11:42,201 We gotta get going. 253 00:11:42,334 --> 00:11:43,235 Yeah. 254 00:11:43,369 --> 00:11:45,538 [Kelly] The interpersonal stuff 255 00:11:45,671 --> 00:11:47,773 every once in a while does get a little muddled 256 00:11:47,907 --> 00:11:49,408 when he is also my big brother, 257 00:11:49,542 --> 00:11:51,577 uh, however, we have a great working relationship, 258 00:11:51,711 --> 00:11:54,547 and I'm absolutely stoked 259 00:11:54,680 --> 00:11:56,549 that he's back with Wildfire. 260 00:11:56,682 --> 00:11:57,850 Yeah, Rog, we are shut down, 261 00:11:57,983 --> 00:12:00,720 and, uh, just walking downslope to get out of the way. 262 00:12:00,853 --> 00:12:03,022 We get along most of the time. 263 00:12:03,155 --> 00:12:04,457 Sometimes we butt heads a little bit, 264 00:12:04,590 --> 00:12:06,692 but I think we've got a pretty good system going on, 265 00:12:06,826 --> 00:12:08,027 and try to support each other 266 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:10,362 as best we can while doing this. 267 00:12:10,496 --> 00:12:12,898 The two-brother dynamic is a lot of fun. 268 00:12:13,032 --> 00:12:15,935 I think they both bring something different. 269 00:12:16,068 --> 00:12:18,137 Let's get to the bottom of this. 270 00:12:18,270 --> 00:12:19,438 [laughing] 271 00:12:19,572 --> 00:12:21,874 [Noah] Connor brings that old-school Val mentality, 272 00:12:22,007 --> 00:12:23,609 which is needed, 273 00:12:23,743 --> 00:12:26,445 and I think Kelly is a nice balance to that. 274 00:12:26,579 --> 00:12:28,047 He's very grounded. 275 00:12:28,180 --> 00:12:29,915 You three are gonna burn. 276 00:12:30,049 --> 00:12:31,650 [Noah] So he brings that cool, calm demeanour. 277 00:12:31,784 --> 00:12:34,720 He's done it for over a decade, 278 00:12:34,854 --> 00:12:37,456 and we kind of embody that as a crew. 279 00:12:37,590 --> 00:12:39,992 [Cayenne] They are both pretty intense 280 00:12:40,126 --> 00:12:41,627 when it needs to be, 281 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:46,265 but in the downtime that brothers can be brothers, 282 00:12:46,398 --> 00:12:47,500 they definitely bring it out. 283 00:12:47,633 --> 00:12:48,768 I have two older brothers, 284 00:12:48,901 --> 00:12:52,471 so it's pretty nice to bring kind of almost a family feel 285 00:12:52,605 --> 00:12:54,740 into the crew. 286 00:12:54,874 --> 00:12:55,641 [Noah] They have the kind of jousting, 287 00:12:55,774 --> 00:12:57,443 playful brother side 288 00:12:57,576 --> 00:12:58,477 where they, you know, 289 00:12:58,611 --> 00:12:59,278 get under each other's skin a little bit, 290 00:12:59,411 --> 00:13:00,779 or give each other a hard time, 291 00:13:00,913 --> 00:13:03,516 so that makes it a lot of fun to be around. 292 00:13:03,649 --> 00:13:05,818 The next day or two... 293 00:13:05,951 --> 00:13:08,254 Aah! [laughing] 294 00:13:09,088 --> 00:13:10,956 [helicopter whirring] 295 00:13:15,794 --> 00:13:18,697 [♪♪♪] 296 00:13:24,236 --> 00:13:25,337 [Kelly] The forecast 297 00:13:25,471 --> 00:13:27,206 is calling for some strong and erratic winds 298 00:13:27,339 --> 00:13:28,707 heading our way this afternoon, 299 00:13:28,841 --> 00:13:30,142 so we have to finish this control line 300 00:13:30,276 --> 00:13:31,777 before the wind takes over. 301 00:13:31,911 --> 00:13:34,380 There's risks. 302 00:13:34,513 --> 00:13:36,782 There's properties and a ski resort nearby, 303 00:13:36,916 --> 00:13:38,551 and they're all on evacuation alert, 304 00:13:38,684 --> 00:13:40,553 so it definitely adds pressure to the work we're doing. 305 00:13:41,854 --> 00:13:43,622 [Connor] Both of these spruce tied together, 306 00:13:43,756 --> 00:13:45,324 no roots left. 307 00:13:45,457 --> 00:13:47,359 We're doing our danger tree assessment, 308 00:13:47,493 --> 00:13:49,828 which is very important for work safety... 309 00:13:49,962 --> 00:13:51,630 We'll focus on this down, 310 00:13:51,764 --> 00:13:54,500 so if you can get a good sweep down through here. 311 00:13:54,633 --> 00:13:57,136 [Connor] ...and with this incident in particular, 312 00:13:57,269 --> 00:13:59,538 not much holding up these trees. 313 00:13:59,672 --> 00:14:00,806 If this is all good to go, 314 00:14:00,940 --> 00:14:03,309 and people can be working up here, 315 00:14:03,442 --> 00:14:04,743 that can be done a little bit slower. 316 00:14:04,877 --> 00:14:07,680 There are a lot of hazards, 317 00:14:07,813 --> 00:14:08,914 and we're finding 318 00:14:09,048 --> 00:14:11,717 an exceptionally high amount of danger trees, 319 00:14:11,850 --> 00:14:12,985 trees that have certain defects 320 00:14:13,118 --> 00:14:14,086 or have been affected by fire, 321 00:14:14,220 --> 00:14:18,424 and are gonna come down within our work areas. 322 00:14:19,959 --> 00:14:21,894 [Kelly] My utmost priority 323 00:14:22,027 --> 00:14:24,563 is always gonna be the safety of my people. 324 00:14:24,697 --> 00:14:26,765 I do love the job itself. 325 00:14:26,899 --> 00:14:27,866 It's extremely exciting. 326 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,436 It's rewarding work. 327 00:14:31,003 --> 00:14:32,871 Our dad did it. 328 00:14:33,005 --> 00:14:35,074 Our grandfather did it. 329 00:14:35,207 --> 00:14:37,009 They were both air tanker pilots. 330 00:14:39,545 --> 00:14:41,180 [Connor] So we kinda grew up around Wildfire, 331 00:14:41,313 --> 00:14:43,582 and my dad had been a smoke jumper back in the '80s 332 00:14:43,716 --> 00:14:44,617 up in Yukon. 333 00:14:46,919 --> 00:14:48,120 [Kelly] Smoke jumpers are the folks 334 00:14:48,254 --> 00:14:48,854 who parachute out of a perfectly good airplane 335 00:14:48,988 --> 00:14:51,924 onto a fire. [chuckling] 336 00:14:52,057 --> 00:14:54,026 [♪♪♪] 337 00:14:55,995 --> 00:14:57,763 [Tom] Smoke jumping, or parattack, 338 00:14:57,897 --> 00:15:00,799 is just a way of accessing forest fires by parachute, 339 00:15:00,933 --> 00:15:04,470 rather than traditional methods of vehicle or helicopter. 340 00:15:07,907 --> 00:15:09,875 It's not a natural thing 341 00:15:10,009 --> 00:15:13,946 to exit an aircraft at 1,500 feet 342 00:15:14,079 --> 00:15:16,815 into what is sometimes not the easiest terrain 343 00:15:16,949 --> 00:15:17,950 with a wildfire burning. 344 00:15:18,083 --> 00:15:20,586 That's a bit of an adrenaline event. 345 00:15:20,719 --> 00:15:22,454 There'll be timber, there'll be hazards. 346 00:15:22,588 --> 00:15:24,957 There might be a lake, or rocks, or the fire itself, 347 00:15:25,090 --> 00:15:26,158 so there's always a nervousness. 348 00:15:26,292 --> 00:15:28,761 You need to make sure you get where you need to be. 349 00:15:32,097 --> 00:15:33,465 [Nigel] I've been here for three years now, 350 00:15:33,599 --> 00:15:35,734 and I have a total of 40 jumps, 351 00:15:35,868 --> 00:15:38,170 so I'm a rigger trainee. 352 00:15:38,304 --> 00:15:39,104 Throughout the process, 353 00:15:39,238 --> 00:15:40,839 you have to pack around 10 parachutes, 354 00:15:40,973 --> 00:15:43,976 and you get tested by riggers who are more experienced, 355 00:15:44,109 --> 00:15:46,178 who pull them apart. 356 00:15:47,546 --> 00:15:50,182 Today we're doing some practice jumps. 357 00:15:50,316 --> 00:15:51,350 Myself and a couple others 358 00:15:51,483 --> 00:15:53,118 have packed what's called our "death chute," 359 00:15:53,252 --> 00:15:54,353 so that's the first time 360 00:15:54,486 --> 00:15:57,222 we'll be jumping a parachute that we've packed. 361 00:15:58,257 --> 00:15:59,825 It does sound kind of scary, 362 00:15:59,958 --> 00:16:02,528 um, especially for us trainee riggers. 363 00:16:03,829 --> 00:16:05,331 It's more of a black comedy type thing, 364 00:16:05,464 --> 00:16:07,633 and it's a long running joke in the program, 365 00:16:07,766 --> 00:16:09,868 and once you land safely 366 00:16:10,002 --> 00:16:12,705 and your chute deploys properly and all that stuff, 367 00:16:12,838 --> 00:16:16,208 you kind of demonstrated that you can pack parachutes. 368 00:16:17,443 --> 00:16:18,977 There's a list that we write down 369 00:16:19,111 --> 00:16:21,180 in case I were to, you know, plummet to my death. 370 00:16:21,313 --> 00:16:24,049 They could take my truck, my house, 371 00:16:24,183 --> 00:16:25,818 my mullet... [laughing] 372 00:16:25,951 --> 00:16:28,387 All sorts of things that I own or are part of me. 373 00:16:29,989 --> 00:16:32,191 I'm not a very good drawer, 374 00:16:32,324 --> 00:16:33,692 but some people really go pretty crazy 375 00:16:33,826 --> 00:16:36,929 with the skull and stuff they draw on it. 376 00:16:40,032 --> 00:16:41,633 Here we go. 377 00:16:47,005 --> 00:16:49,074 I constantly look at the parachute, 378 00:16:49,208 --> 00:16:49,908 make sure nothing's wrong with it, you know? 379 00:16:50,042 --> 00:16:51,210 It's pretty nerve-racking, 380 00:16:51,343 --> 00:16:53,579 first time jumping one of mine. 381 00:16:56,215 --> 00:17:00,719 The trust that is entailed in this job is quite large. 382 00:17:00,853 --> 00:17:03,455 Everybody here is like family to me. 383 00:17:04,323 --> 00:17:06,658 The stakes are pretty high for sure. 384 00:17:06,792 --> 00:17:09,161 [♪♪♪] 385 00:17:16,168 --> 00:17:17,069 There are definitely times 386 00:17:17,202 --> 00:17:20,272 where you're jumping close to fires. 387 00:17:20,406 --> 00:17:22,775 I have had times where I haven't been able to see anything 388 00:17:22,908 --> 00:17:24,510 'cause I'm kind of in a cloud of smoke, 389 00:17:24,643 --> 00:17:26,011 but it eventually clears out, 390 00:17:26,145 --> 00:17:28,480 and you're able to land safely. 391 00:17:29,515 --> 00:17:30,816 Pretty intense, for sure. 392 00:17:36,188 --> 00:17:37,890 Nothing left to test now. 393 00:17:38,023 --> 00:17:39,091 Just gotta jump the parachute. 394 00:17:39,224 --> 00:17:42,428 I just gotta trust myself, you know? 395 00:17:42,561 --> 00:17:45,731 I'm fairly sure that I didn't, uh, mess anything up. 396 00:18:14,893 --> 00:18:15,961 [Nigel] I got the nerves, 397 00:18:16,095 --> 00:18:17,463 you know, butterflies in my stomach, 398 00:18:17,596 --> 00:18:19,131 but I'm excited to get out of the door 399 00:18:19,264 --> 00:18:20,866 and see how it goes. 400 00:19:03,742 --> 00:19:04,209 Whoo! 401 00:19:04,343 --> 00:19:06,645 [laughing] 402 00:19:06,778 --> 00:19:08,146 I'm alive, boys! 403 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,048 [laughing] I flew over you. 404 00:19:10,182 --> 00:19:11,617 [laughing] 405 00:19:11,750 --> 00:19:13,218 Whoo! 406 00:19:13,352 --> 00:19:14,119 That was a good one. 407 00:19:14,253 --> 00:19:15,187 I passed the test. 408 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:17,556 Here I am. 409 00:19:17,689 --> 00:19:20,726 Safe on the ground and alive. [laughing] 410 00:19:21,793 --> 00:19:23,695 I had heard stories as a kid from my dad 411 00:19:23,829 --> 00:19:26,231 about how much fun he had doing, uh, smoke jumping, 412 00:19:26,365 --> 00:19:28,400 and not even just the fires themselves, 413 00:19:28,534 --> 00:19:30,736 just, like, the group of people that they worked with. 414 00:19:32,938 --> 00:19:33,805 That was awesome. 415 00:19:36,008 --> 00:19:38,477 We grew up moving from tanker base to tanker base. 416 00:19:39,811 --> 00:19:41,513 It almost seemed like a little bit of destiny, 417 00:19:41,647 --> 00:19:42,247 probably, 418 00:19:42,381 --> 00:19:43,715 for me to get into it, 419 00:19:43,849 --> 00:19:48,453 and, uh, I like to just keep that kind of tradition alive. 420 00:19:49,321 --> 00:19:51,423 [helicopter whirring] 421 00:19:51,557 --> 00:19:53,025 [voices crackling over radio] 422 00:19:56,461 --> 00:19:59,031 [♪♪♪] 423 00:20:04,403 --> 00:20:06,772 [Connor] I'm the head faller on the crew, 424 00:20:06,905 --> 00:20:08,207 which means I usually go ahead of everyone else 425 00:20:08,340 --> 00:20:10,075 to take out danger trees, 426 00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:11,410 and just make the area 427 00:20:11,543 --> 00:20:13,512 a little bit more safe for people to be working in. 428 00:20:13,645 --> 00:20:14,212 [starting chainsaw] 429 00:20:24,690 --> 00:20:25,824 It's pretty dangerous. 430 00:20:27,759 --> 00:20:28,727 You gotta stay on your toes. 431 00:20:28,860 --> 00:20:30,095 You gotta be quick, that's for sure. 432 00:20:30,229 --> 00:20:32,564 [sawing] 433 00:20:32,698 --> 00:20:33,732 [Kelly] Industry-wide, 434 00:20:33,865 --> 00:20:34,800 it's always been 435 00:20:34,933 --> 00:20:37,302 one of the more high-risk operations that we do. 436 00:20:37,436 --> 00:20:38,670 [wood splintering] 437 00:20:41,340 --> 00:20:43,241 A lot of the incidents we had in this previous season 438 00:20:43,375 --> 00:20:45,944 were related to danger trees. 439 00:20:46,078 --> 00:20:48,046 Lots of injuries. 440 00:20:49,248 --> 00:20:51,883 [Connor] Our mom is fairly apprehensive 441 00:20:52,017 --> 00:20:53,385 about what we do. 442 00:20:54,586 --> 00:20:57,756 She knows better than anyone the dangers of the job. 443 00:21:01,393 --> 00:21:02,728 [♪♪♪] 444 00:21:02,861 --> 00:21:04,463 [news report] More than a thousand people 445 00:21:04,596 --> 00:21:07,099 packed into the gym of Rossland's high school 446 00:21:07,232 --> 00:21:08,634 to remember Ian Mackay. 447 00:21:08,767 --> 00:21:10,936 It seems everyone in this small community 448 00:21:11,069 --> 00:21:12,404 knew the 41-year-old, 449 00:21:12,537 --> 00:21:15,841 who leaves behind a wife and four small children. 450 00:21:17,476 --> 00:21:19,478 [Kelly] In 2003, 451 00:21:19,611 --> 00:21:23,181 my dad crashed on a fire near Kimberly. 452 00:21:23,315 --> 00:21:25,150 I was 13 years old, uh, 453 00:21:25,284 --> 00:21:26,285 when my... when my dad passed away. 454 00:21:30,288 --> 00:21:31,323 [news report] Mackay, 455 00:21:31,456 --> 00:21:33,759 along with his copilot, Eric Ebert, 456 00:21:33,892 --> 00:21:36,261 were killed when their plane crashed into a hillside 457 00:21:36,395 --> 00:21:38,697 fighting a small forest fire near Cranbrook. 458 00:21:38,830 --> 00:21:40,499 The plane exploded on impact, 459 00:21:40,632 --> 00:21:44,102 no chance for either men onboard to survive. 460 00:21:44,970 --> 00:21:46,972 Anyone who knew Ian would say 461 00:21:47,105 --> 00:21:50,208 his greatest accomplishment is his family. 462 00:21:58,417 --> 00:22:02,120 [Kelly] My life changed so much when that happened, 463 00:22:02,254 --> 00:22:04,289 and would I have been on the same trajectory? 464 00:22:04,423 --> 00:22:06,792 I don't know. 465 00:22:08,427 --> 00:22:10,696 When I started firefighting, 466 00:22:10,829 --> 00:22:13,165 it was probably not the easiest for my mom, 467 00:22:13,298 --> 00:22:16,735 knowing that it is an inherently dangerous job. 468 00:22:16,868 --> 00:22:19,304 I think over the course of my career, 469 00:22:19,438 --> 00:22:21,406 she understands the levels that I take 470 00:22:21,540 --> 00:22:24,576 to make sure that myself and my crew are safe. 471 00:22:24,710 --> 00:22:26,611 She's come around to it. 472 00:22:33,552 --> 00:22:34,853 [radio] Copy that. 473 00:22:36,355 --> 00:22:37,489 [Kelly] My dad's plane 474 00:22:37,622 --> 00:22:38,223 that he flew in on the day-to-day 475 00:22:38,356 --> 00:22:41,259 is still in circulation, 476 00:22:41,393 --> 00:22:44,996 and it seems to be a funny coincidence 477 00:22:45,130 --> 00:22:47,099 that whenever I call in an air tanker, 478 00:22:47,232 --> 00:22:51,269 I seem to get that plane kind of more often than not... 479 00:22:55,474 --> 00:22:57,743 so when it shows up, 480 00:22:57,876 --> 00:23:00,679 it always kinds of sends me back a little bit. 481 00:23:00,812 --> 00:23:03,048 Um... 482 00:23:03,181 --> 00:23:04,683 yeah. 483 00:23:08,987 --> 00:23:09,354 [♪♪♪] 484 00:23:24,369 --> 00:23:25,871 Here we go, first test. 485 00:23:26,004 --> 00:23:28,306 Weighing in at maybe 230, 40 pounds. 486 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:29,975 Bit of a beast. 487 00:23:30,108 --> 00:23:32,744 We have finished the first chunk of our fuel-free, 488 00:23:32,878 --> 00:23:34,146 which means that, uh, 489 00:23:34,279 --> 00:23:35,614 we're now going to allow 490 00:23:35,747 --> 00:23:36,448 the rest of the crew to start working in this area 491 00:23:36,581 --> 00:23:39,384 and finishing off the fuel-free. 492 00:23:39,518 --> 00:23:42,053 [starting chainsaw] 493 00:23:45,724 --> 00:23:47,726 [Cayenne] Being one of the youngest on the crew 494 00:23:47,859 --> 00:23:50,595 has been a pretty funny experience. 495 00:23:50,729 --> 00:23:52,330 It's kind of like you're the little sibling 496 00:23:52,464 --> 00:23:54,933 to 18 other people. 497 00:23:56,301 --> 00:23:57,969 It is definitely a male-dominated field, 498 00:23:58,103 --> 00:24:00,572 and I hope that starts to even out, 499 00:24:00,705 --> 00:24:02,774 but I think it definitely is beneficial 500 00:24:02,908 --> 00:24:04,910 that I, like, grew up with two older brothers. 501 00:24:05,043 --> 00:24:08,146 I'm used to being surrounded by males... 502 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:09,481 How's it goin'? 503 00:24:09,614 --> 00:24:12,684 ...and all the boys are very good to work with. 504 00:24:12,818 --> 00:24:13,451 A bunch of buddies. 505 00:24:17,222 --> 00:24:18,790 [chainsawing] 506 00:24:19,991 --> 00:24:22,527 The past couple days have been good firefighting weather, 507 00:24:22,661 --> 00:24:24,496 but the indices are drying out. 508 00:24:24,629 --> 00:24:28,133 Fuels are becoming more receptive to fire. 509 00:24:28,266 --> 00:24:29,501 There's a forecasted substantial wind event 510 00:24:29,634 --> 00:24:32,003 that will be coming in. 511 00:24:32,137 --> 00:24:32,637 It's gonna make it far more difficult 512 00:24:32,771 --> 00:24:35,540 to contain this fire. 513 00:24:35,674 --> 00:24:38,977 There is a risk that it will get out of control, 514 00:24:39,110 --> 00:24:41,379 so our hand is being forced right now 515 00:24:41,513 --> 00:24:42,881 with this wind coming in. 516 00:24:43,014 --> 00:24:44,549 It's gonna be very challenging. 517 00:24:44,683 --> 00:24:46,551 I think it's our best option 518 00:24:46,685 --> 00:24:47,552 to go forward with this plan 519 00:24:47,686 --> 00:24:50,622 to see if we can stop it here. 520 00:24:50,755 --> 00:24:53,024 If we do nothing, 521 00:24:53,158 --> 00:24:55,460 the fire is gonna continue to progress down the valley. 522 00:25:12,210 --> 00:25:14,379 [Connor] Once we've carved out a control line, 523 00:25:14,512 --> 00:25:18,083 we fortify it by cutting in a solid hand guard in the dirt, 524 00:25:18,216 --> 00:25:20,151 which is essentially a small trench we dig 525 00:25:20,285 --> 00:25:21,720 down to mineral soil, 526 00:25:21,853 --> 00:25:22,554 making a complete break in the fuels 527 00:25:22,687 --> 00:25:24,256 to prevent creeping ground fire, 528 00:25:24,389 --> 00:25:24,956 and from start to finish, 529 00:25:25,090 --> 00:25:26,424 that has to be rock solid. 530 00:25:26,558 --> 00:25:28,827 Any little breaks in that, 531 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:30,262 and fire creeps across, 532 00:25:30,395 --> 00:25:31,796 and we lose the whole thing. 533 00:25:34,232 --> 00:25:36,902 We've always, uh, on Val, have taken a lot of pride in... 534 00:25:37,035 --> 00:25:38,937 I don't want to say we're famous for our hand guard, 535 00:25:39,070 --> 00:25:41,139 but we're maybe a little famous for our hand guard. 536 00:25:42,340 --> 00:25:42,707 Whoo! 537 00:25:42,841 --> 00:25:45,176 [all cheering] 538 00:25:45,310 --> 00:25:47,846 You can cut as much as you want, 539 00:25:47,979 --> 00:25:49,548 but at the end of the day, 540 00:25:49,681 --> 00:25:51,950 it's the quality of a good hand guard 541 00:25:52,083 --> 00:25:55,186 that will really show the effort you put out there. 542 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:56,521 Perfect. 543 00:25:56,655 --> 00:25:58,256 Edges nice and clean, 544 00:25:58,390 --> 00:26:00,592 even width all the way up. 545 00:26:00,725 --> 00:26:02,560 This just makes it so much better. 546 00:26:02,694 --> 00:26:03,695 [crew cheering] Whoo! 547 00:26:03,828 --> 00:26:06,398 [Kelly] When you finish your chunk of hand guard, 548 00:26:06,531 --> 00:26:07,265 we yell "Bumping!" 549 00:26:07,399 --> 00:26:09,200 [calling] Bumping! 550 00:26:09,334 --> 00:26:10,635 [crew shouting back] We got a bumper! 551 00:26:10,769 --> 00:26:11,803 [crew cheering] 552 00:26:11,937 --> 00:26:12,537 [Kelly] ...and you get to move to the front, 553 00:26:12,671 --> 00:26:13,872 past everybody. 554 00:26:14,005 --> 00:26:16,775 It's pretty fun to encourage everybody along the way. 555 00:26:16,908 --> 00:26:17,709 [crew cheering] Whoo! 556 00:26:17,842 --> 00:26:18,443 [Connor] Camaraderie amongst the crews 557 00:26:18,576 --> 00:26:20,478 is a big thing. 558 00:26:20,612 --> 00:26:22,147 It's really hard work, 559 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:24,583 so it helps to just have a lot of positivity. 560 00:26:24,716 --> 00:26:25,884 [shouting] There we go! 561 00:26:26,017 --> 00:26:26,918 [crew calling] Bumping! 562 00:26:27,052 --> 00:26:28,153 [shouting in reply] Bumping! 563 00:26:28,286 --> 00:26:30,588 Whoo! 564 00:26:30,722 --> 00:26:32,490 [singing] ♪ My mother told me ♪ 565 00:26:32,624 --> 00:26:34,626 ♪ Someday I will buy ♪ 566 00:26:34,759 --> 00:26:37,662 ♪ Galley with good oars ♪ 567 00:26:37,796 --> 00:26:39,931 ♪ Sail to distant shores ♪ 568 00:26:41,099 --> 00:26:43,501 [Kelly] We form pretty close bonds, 569 00:26:43,635 --> 00:26:45,770 and that makes me protective of my crew. 570 00:26:45,904 --> 00:26:47,672 The biggest thing on my mind, always, 571 00:26:47,806 --> 00:26:49,474 is keeping them safe, 572 00:26:49,607 --> 00:26:51,910 but this is a dangerous job, 573 00:26:52,043 --> 00:26:53,678 and despite all our efforts, 574 00:26:53,812 --> 00:26:55,580 sometimes the worst can happen. 575 00:27:09,627 --> 00:27:10,662 [news report] Tributes are pouring in for Devyn Gale, 576 00:27:10,795 --> 00:27:14,766 pictured here on duty. 577 00:27:15,934 --> 00:27:17,102 And if you look at all these words, 578 00:27:17,235 --> 00:27:20,638 this is what they did today when we were grieving her. 579 00:27:20,772 --> 00:27:22,140 [news report] The 19-year-old's death 580 00:27:22,273 --> 00:27:24,476 has shaken the small community of Revelstoke, 581 00:27:24,609 --> 00:27:25,477 where she grew up. 582 00:27:25,610 --> 00:27:28,146 Friends at a local gymnastics studio 583 00:27:28,279 --> 00:27:29,214 created a poster 584 00:27:29,347 --> 00:27:31,816 to remember what they loved most about her. 585 00:27:31,950 --> 00:27:36,855 Uh, this is a very, uh, very sad day for our province, 586 00:27:36,988 --> 00:27:37,856 and for all British Columbians, 587 00:27:37,989 --> 00:27:40,525 and I want to say thank you to her, 588 00:27:40,659 --> 00:27:41,960 for her work, 589 00:27:42,093 --> 00:27:42,727 for her sacrifice, 590 00:27:42,861 --> 00:27:45,196 and to her family and friends. 591 00:27:45,330 --> 00:27:46,131 [news report] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 592 00:27:46,264 --> 00:27:47,966 called her death heartbreaking 593 00:27:48,099 --> 00:27:50,769 in a Tweet this morning. 594 00:27:53,672 --> 00:27:56,007 [Nolan] For my sister Devyn and I, 595 00:27:56,141 --> 00:27:58,476 fighting fires, it's a summer job 596 00:27:58,610 --> 00:27:59,811 to pay for school. 597 00:28:00,945 --> 00:28:02,247 She loved it. 598 00:28:02,380 --> 00:28:04,549 She had a lot more experience than me. 599 00:28:04,682 --> 00:28:06,384 She was only home every other night, 600 00:28:06,518 --> 00:28:10,155 and then would be out the door early the next day. 601 00:28:10,288 --> 00:28:12,757 This season, she was in a bit more of a mentor role, 602 00:28:12,891 --> 00:28:14,659 uh, because we did have some more new recruits, 603 00:28:14,793 --> 00:28:16,027 and she just knew her way around 604 00:28:16,161 --> 00:28:17,495 and knew what she was doing, 605 00:28:17,629 --> 00:28:20,098 so she was a bit of a hot commodity this summer. 606 00:28:20,231 --> 00:28:22,600 Uh, people wanted her as their Bravo on their crews, 607 00:28:22,734 --> 00:28:25,370 the number two after the Alpha, 608 00:28:25,503 --> 00:28:26,905 who's the crew leader. 609 00:28:27,038 --> 00:28:29,107 Nine. [laughing] 610 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:30,542 Eight. 611 00:28:30,675 --> 00:28:31,509 Ten... 612 00:28:35,914 --> 00:28:41,019 [Nolan] That day, to me, means a lot of pain. 613 00:28:41,152 --> 00:28:44,722 I can still remember it quite clearly. 614 00:28:44,856 --> 00:28:46,758 Devyn led a couple other crew members up 615 00:28:46,891 --> 00:28:49,794 around lunchtime, 616 00:28:49,928 --> 00:28:52,230 and she did a flawless call to Fire Centre 617 00:28:52,363 --> 00:28:54,899 when they were on their way to the fire. 618 00:28:55,033 --> 00:28:56,734 A little while after lunch, 619 00:28:56,868 --> 00:28:59,204 we picked up our saws and got to work 620 00:28:59,337 --> 00:29:02,240 cutting a trail down to the fire, 621 00:29:02,373 --> 00:29:05,710 and in the middle of that was when the tree fell. 622 00:29:05,844 --> 00:29:07,045 I just heard some yelling, 623 00:29:07,178 --> 00:29:08,780 so I killed the saw, and... 624 00:29:08,913 --> 00:29:11,783 and then check-ins on the radio, 625 00:29:11,916 --> 00:29:13,618 people asking if everyone's okay. 626 00:29:13,751 --> 00:29:15,653 Devyn wasn't answering... 627 00:29:17,856 --> 00:29:19,791 so I ran down with my saw, 628 00:29:19,924 --> 00:29:21,493 and I found her under the tree, 629 00:29:21,626 --> 00:29:24,095 and the first thing I saw was her helmet, 630 00:29:24,229 --> 00:29:26,664 and it was just kinda on the ground by the tree 631 00:29:26,798 --> 00:29:28,666 and crumpled like a Coke can, 632 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:31,169 and I was kind of, like... 633 00:29:31,302 --> 00:29:32,437 "Oh, shit." 634 00:29:32,570 --> 00:29:33,037 [♪♪♪] 635 00:29:33,171 --> 00:29:36,274 [air horns blasting] 636 00:29:36,407 --> 00:29:37,642 We were able to just pull her out, 637 00:29:37,776 --> 00:29:39,677 which... [clearing throat] 638 00:29:39,811 --> 00:29:41,813 a tough pull, um... 639 00:29:41,946 --> 00:29:44,949 I let out a good scream at that point. 640 00:29:47,819 --> 00:29:50,288 I remember thinking, like, 641 00:29:50,421 --> 00:29:52,724 "I'm not sure if she's gonna make it." 642 00:29:54,559 --> 00:29:55,994 I had my supervisor radio the zone 643 00:29:56,127 --> 00:29:58,296 to tell my parents. 644 00:29:59,297 --> 00:30:01,699 She was breathing when we found her, 645 00:30:01,833 --> 00:30:05,270 but her pupils were dilated, 646 00:30:05,403 --> 00:30:06,871 and the doctor said dilated pupils 647 00:30:07,005 --> 00:30:10,074 usually means that there's no brain activity anymore. 648 00:30:15,747 --> 00:30:18,416 [♪♪♪] 649 00:30:39,704 --> 00:30:42,073 The fire community really came together, 650 00:30:42,207 --> 00:30:45,743 and so many people lining the streets. 651 00:30:46,811 --> 00:30:50,248 Exchanged a lot of silent nods with people. 652 00:30:52,617 --> 00:30:54,052 We were kind of blown away by it all, 653 00:30:54,185 --> 00:30:56,888 how much people cared, I guess. 654 00:30:57,021 --> 00:30:59,490 [♪♪♪] 655 00:30:59,624 --> 00:31:01,192 It was really beautiful. 656 00:31:01,326 --> 00:31:04,896 I hope I'm never part of one ever again, 657 00:31:05,029 --> 00:31:06,798 but it was a sight to behold. 658 00:31:12,370 --> 00:31:15,006 She wasn't just a firefighter. 659 00:31:15,139 --> 00:31:17,041 Um, she was a lot more. 660 00:31:17,175 --> 00:31:18,743 She did lots of, like, coaching, 661 00:31:18,876 --> 00:31:20,778 um, for swimming 662 00:31:20,912 --> 00:31:22,580 and gymnastics and volleyball, 663 00:31:22,714 --> 00:31:26,117 would give up a lot of her free time to go do that, 664 00:31:26,251 --> 00:31:27,685 would give up a lot of her free time 665 00:31:27,819 --> 00:31:29,954 for her friends who needed help with anything. 666 00:31:30,088 --> 00:31:32,523 It just wasn't in her to say no. 667 00:31:33,658 --> 00:31:34,359 There's a reason 668 00:31:34,492 --> 00:31:35,894 why the community was so hit by it, 669 00:31:36,027 --> 00:31:38,763 because she did affect so many people here. 670 00:31:38,896 --> 00:31:41,366 She was far-reaching, I guess. 671 00:31:45,670 --> 00:31:47,238 [Nolan] I'm grateful to have spent one last day 672 00:31:47,372 --> 00:31:48,973 firefighting with you. 673 00:31:49,107 --> 00:31:50,475 I'm grateful to have been close to you 674 00:31:50,608 --> 00:31:51,609 when the tree fell. 675 00:31:51,743 --> 00:31:52,810 I'm grateful to have been one of the people 676 00:31:52,944 --> 00:31:54,012 who pulled you out from under it, 677 00:31:54,145 --> 00:31:57,982 because it meant I got a few extra minutes with you. 678 00:31:58,116 --> 00:31:59,951 Wherever you are, Dev, 679 00:32:00,084 --> 00:32:01,152 I hope you can feel the love. 680 00:32:01,286 --> 00:32:04,055 I hope you can see all of the hearts you've touched. 681 00:32:04,188 --> 00:32:04,989 To so many people, 682 00:32:05,123 --> 00:32:05,990 myself included, 683 00:32:06,124 --> 00:32:09,761 you're an inspiration and a hero. 684 00:32:13,298 --> 00:32:15,433 Her name will be known, 685 00:32:15,566 --> 00:32:18,002 will be spoken... 686 00:32:18,136 --> 00:32:19,804 will be celebrated, 687 00:32:19,938 --> 00:32:21,339 and will serve as a reminder to us all 688 00:32:21,472 --> 00:32:25,610 the dangers inherent with the work that we do. 689 00:32:25,743 --> 00:32:28,980 Thank you, entire family, 690 00:32:29,113 --> 00:32:31,983 for loaning Devyn to us. 691 00:32:32,116 --> 00:32:34,285 I'm sorry we can't repay the favour. 692 00:32:34,419 --> 00:32:37,422 We are forever in your debt. 693 00:32:41,326 --> 00:32:43,127 You just got kinder, and wiser, 694 00:32:43,261 --> 00:32:46,197 and more nurturing. 695 00:32:46,331 --> 00:32:50,802 There's no question of Devyn deserving more, 696 00:32:50,935 --> 00:32:52,470 deserving better, 697 00:32:52,603 --> 00:32:54,806 and maybe this is the call to action that we need 698 00:32:54,939 --> 00:32:55,873 to finally ask ourselves 699 00:32:56,007 --> 00:32:58,042 if we're fine with every summer 700 00:32:58,176 --> 00:32:59,978 having record-breaking numbers of fires, 701 00:33:00,111 --> 00:33:01,679 and record-breaking temps, 702 00:33:01,813 --> 00:33:05,950 and record-breaking natural disasters. 703 00:33:06,084 --> 00:33:06,984 Maybe this is what we needed, 704 00:33:07,118 --> 00:33:08,219 because if there's anything I know, 705 00:33:08,353 --> 00:33:11,022 it's that the world isn't playing fair. 706 00:33:11,155 --> 00:33:13,558 Devyn's favourite tree was the Western red cedar, 707 00:33:13,691 --> 00:33:17,528 and on that day, it was a cedar that took her life, 708 00:33:17,662 --> 00:33:18,529 and these summers, 709 00:33:18,663 --> 00:33:19,864 and their fires, and their temps won't stop 710 00:33:19,998 --> 00:33:22,233 just because we lost a friend, 711 00:33:22,367 --> 00:33:23,868 a colleague, or sister. 712 00:33:24,001 --> 00:33:28,172 [♪♪♪] 713 00:33:35,279 --> 00:33:37,215 It was incredibly difficult for me. 714 00:33:37,348 --> 00:33:41,419 I remember taking the I.C. and myself, 715 00:33:41,552 --> 00:33:45,056 and we went, and we just talked to the crew. 716 00:33:45,189 --> 00:33:47,859 I was trying to kind of put on a brave face 717 00:33:47,992 --> 00:33:49,060 for everybody there, 718 00:33:49,193 --> 00:33:52,063 and then once we'd kind of said our piece, 719 00:33:52,196 --> 00:33:54,198 I kinda separated myself 720 00:33:54,332 --> 00:33:56,000 and I went to the Ops tent there, and... 721 00:33:56,134 --> 00:33:57,068 [clearing throat] 722 00:33:57,201 --> 00:33:59,103 Yeah, it was incredibly tough. 723 00:34:01,672 --> 00:34:04,075 My heart just went out to Devyn's family, 724 00:34:04,208 --> 00:34:07,111 knowing what that was like, um... 725 00:34:07,245 --> 00:34:10,014 Yeah, I... 726 00:34:10,148 --> 00:34:12,750 Yeah, it was incredibly... 727 00:34:12,884 --> 00:34:15,787 It was a terrible day. 728 00:34:20,691 --> 00:34:24,061 Thanks for being... adjustable, we'll say. 729 00:34:24,195 --> 00:34:25,930 [Kelly] After Devyn's death, 730 00:34:26,063 --> 00:34:27,465 I didn't have a question 731 00:34:27,598 --> 00:34:30,601 that this is what I wanted to continue to do. 732 00:34:30,735 --> 00:34:33,304 It just made me take a step back 733 00:34:33,438 --> 00:34:35,273 and just really make sure 734 00:34:35,406 --> 00:34:38,076 that I'm here to take care of my crew, 735 00:34:38,209 --> 00:34:40,278 and the safety of my friends 736 00:34:40,411 --> 00:34:43,114 is what I was gonna really ensure, 737 00:34:43,247 --> 00:34:45,383 that moving forward, 738 00:34:45,516 --> 00:34:49,921 that is never in question. 739 00:34:50,054 --> 00:34:53,324 [♪♪♪] 740 00:35:03,301 --> 00:35:04,969 [Connor] We've been seeing 741 00:35:05,103 --> 00:35:07,171 kind of a gradual increase in fire behaviour 742 00:35:07,305 --> 00:35:09,507 over the last couple days. 743 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:11,509 We're trying to establish lines 744 00:35:11,642 --> 00:35:13,578 before this significant wind event comes in, 745 00:35:13,711 --> 00:35:15,980 which means that we're looking at 60 to 80 kilometre winds 746 00:35:16,114 --> 00:35:18,182 passing through here. 747 00:35:18,316 --> 00:35:19,383 There's, again, a lot of coordination. 748 00:35:19,517 --> 00:35:22,820 We're waiting for things like wind to be in our favour. 749 00:35:22,954 --> 00:35:23,921 We don't want to light up 750 00:35:24,055 --> 00:35:26,023 when the wind is blowing directly across our line. 751 00:35:26,157 --> 00:35:29,293 [starting pump] 752 00:35:30,328 --> 00:35:31,863 We'll usually try to do a bit of green guarding, 753 00:35:31,996 --> 00:35:33,331 which is putting water 754 00:35:33,464 --> 00:35:36,467 on the unburnt side of our fuel-free, 755 00:35:36,601 --> 00:35:39,137 and just giving it a bit of a humidity bubble 756 00:35:39,270 --> 00:35:41,472 so that if sparks and embers come across, 757 00:35:41,606 --> 00:35:43,608 they're not gonna immediately ignite. 758 00:35:45,343 --> 00:35:48,880 Now we're gonna start burning off of this avalanche slide path 759 00:35:49,013 --> 00:35:49,947 that we have tied into. 760 00:35:52,183 --> 00:35:54,018 The goal here is to create a buffer 761 00:35:54,152 --> 00:35:55,219 before the wind event shows up, 762 00:35:55,353 --> 00:35:56,787 We want to slow down the fire 763 00:35:56,921 --> 00:35:59,891 as it gets to the fuel-free area. 764 00:36:00,024 --> 00:36:02,193 We're burning where the fire is heading anyway. 765 00:36:02,326 --> 00:36:03,528 If we can get there first, 766 00:36:03,661 --> 00:36:04,128 there'll be nothing left for the fire to burn 767 00:36:04,262 --> 00:36:06,631 when it arrives. 768 00:36:07,965 --> 00:36:08,266 Giddy on up! 769 00:36:08,399 --> 00:36:10,134 [laughing] 770 00:36:10,268 --> 00:36:12,069 [Connor] Saddle up, partners! 771 00:36:12,203 --> 00:36:13,137 You got another one, Connor? 772 00:36:13,271 --> 00:36:15,540 Gather 'round. 773 00:36:15,673 --> 00:36:16,641 [laughter] 774 00:36:16,774 --> 00:36:18,910 [♪♪♪] 775 00:36:19,043 --> 00:36:22,046 Okay, so, new map for, uh, for the burn here, 776 00:36:22,179 --> 00:36:24,849 slightly more macro scale. 777 00:36:24,982 --> 00:36:26,350 Lots of aviation. 778 00:36:26,484 --> 00:36:29,153 We got lots of eyes in the sky, all right? 779 00:36:29,287 --> 00:36:31,088 [♪♪♪] 780 00:36:44,302 --> 00:36:45,102 [Dion] Helco Hotel, Kilo, Uniform 781 00:36:45,236 --> 00:36:48,806 lifting payload for the fire. 782 00:36:49,907 --> 00:36:51,509 [Kelly] We're relying heavily on the helicopters 783 00:36:51,642 --> 00:36:55,246 to hold this fire in these areas 784 00:36:55,379 --> 00:36:56,113 so that we can complete the other operations 785 00:36:56,247 --> 00:36:59,350 where we can actually work. 786 00:37:00,651 --> 00:37:02,453 The larger the helicopters get, 787 00:37:02,587 --> 00:37:03,087 the more specialized they are 788 00:37:03,221 --> 00:37:06,023 to just carry water. 789 00:37:06,324 --> 00:37:08,092 In the reconnaissance of the fire, 790 00:37:08,226 --> 00:37:12,296 one of the sets of data we get is where's the water? 791 00:37:12,430 --> 00:37:14,532 Just picking up the first load. 792 00:37:14,665 --> 00:37:17,001 ETA to drop, three minutes. 793 00:37:17,235 --> 00:37:21,305 Often there's this long grind up the mountainside 794 00:37:21,439 --> 00:37:23,474 to get the water to the fire, 795 00:37:23,608 --> 00:37:25,109 so if you can find a small lake 796 00:37:25,242 --> 00:37:27,378 at the same elevation as the fire, 797 00:37:27,511 --> 00:37:29,947 then you don't have to be flying up a mountainside 798 00:37:30,081 --> 00:37:31,449 for each and every bucket, 799 00:37:31,582 --> 00:37:32,250 but sometimes that's all you got. 800 00:37:36,287 --> 00:37:38,155 [Bill] The unique thing 801 00:37:38,289 --> 00:37:39,957 about the S-64 Skycrane 802 00:37:40,091 --> 00:37:41,959 is the ability to put different components on it, 803 00:37:42,093 --> 00:37:44,328 and the one relating to today, obviously, is the fire tank. 804 00:37:52,036 --> 00:37:52,770 We've got the snorkel, 805 00:37:52,903 --> 00:37:54,438 so we find suitable water sources. 806 00:37:54,572 --> 00:37:55,373 That can be anything from a river, a lake. 807 00:37:55,506 --> 00:37:57,808 We only need about two feet of water 808 00:37:57,942 --> 00:38:00,177 to be able to actually get water onboard the tank. 809 00:38:00,311 --> 00:38:01,946 Ideally, this tank will fill 810 00:38:02,079 --> 00:38:04,015 in about a minute to a minute and a half, 811 00:38:04,148 --> 00:38:06,584 depending on how much we're putting in. 812 00:38:08,386 --> 00:38:09,920 We would select higher coverage levels 813 00:38:10,054 --> 00:38:11,122 in hot spots. 814 00:38:12,623 --> 00:38:15,993 We'll release up to 20,000 pounds of water 815 00:38:16,127 --> 00:38:18,029 in about three seconds. 816 00:38:19,830 --> 00:38:22,199 [Connor] There's urgency to get as much done as we can, 817 00:38:22,333 --> 00:38:23,668 and hopefully anchor it 818 00:38:23,801 --> 00:38:27,138 before something undoes all our work. 819 00:38:27,972 --> 00:38:29,674 [Kelly] We're gonna see, potentially, 820 00:38:29,807 --> 00:38:30,541 that increase in fire behaviour. 821 00:38:30,675 --> 00:38:32,843 We're already witnessing it. 822 00:38:32,977 --> 00:38:34,311 Moving in a pretty good direction, 823 00:38:34,445 --> 00:38:36,881 so there's favourable wind. 824 00:38:37,014 --> 00:38:39,317 [Dion] It can be quite difficult flying sometimes. 825 00:38:41,986 --> 00:38:43,187 [Bill] We're getting a lot of smoke. 826 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:44,221 Reduced visibilities, 827 00:38:44,355 --> 00:38:47,892 a lot of mechanical turbulence. 828 00:38:48,025 --> 00:38:49,327 The helco basically directs us into our water spots. 829 00:38:49,460 --> 00:38:51,295 which flank we're gonna be working, 830 00:38:51,429 --> 00:38:54,031 proper separation of the aircraft, 831 00:38:54,165 --> 00:38:57,501 so radio communication is really paramount. 832 00:39:09,347 --> 00:39:12,750 We're gonna have Connie run round torches. 833 00:39:12,883 --> 00:39:13,751 [Connor] Sometimes it feels a little uncomfortable 834 00:39:13,884 --> 00:39:17,088 how fast you have to walk with the torch. 835 00:39:17,221 --> 00:39:18,989 Uh, if you're not comfortable with the slope, 836 00:39:19,123 --> 00:39:19,957 let people know. 837 00:39:21,826 --> 00:39:22,360 If you're ever wondering where someone is, 838 00:39:22,493 --> 00:39:23,427 call for them. 839 00:39:23,561 --> 00:39:25,830 [voices over radio] 840 00:39:25,963 --> 00:39:28,165 [Cayenne] I'm pretty nervous for my first burn. 841 00:39:30,735 --> 00:39:32,236 I'm the only one that has never done it, 842 00:39:32,369 --> 00:39:34,238 so it's very intimidating, 843 00:39:34,371 --> 00:39:38,342 and walking with fire in my hand kind of scares me. 844 00:39:46,817 --> 00:39:47,718 It's super challenging. 845 00:39:47,852 --> 00:39:50,054 You're navigating through brush 846 00:39:50,187 --> 00:39:52,423 and steep ground 847 00:39:52,556 --> 00:39:55,860 with a heavy fireball in your hand, essentially. 848 00:39:58,362 --> 00:40:00,765 If you get too far ahead, 849 00:40:00,898 --> 00:40:04,101 that can put someone in a very bad situation 850 00:40:04,235 --> 00:40:06,370 and entrap them in fire. 851 00:40:09,707 --> 00:40:11,442 [Connor] Burn operations are, I think, 852 00:40:11,575 --> 00:40:13,778 you ask just about any firefighter, 853 00:40:13,911 --> 00:40:16,247 they're probably the most fun part of our job, 854 00:40:16,380 --> 00:40:17,248 and to a lot of people, 855 00:40:17,381 --> 00:40:18,616 it probably seems very counter-intuitive, 856 00:40:18,749 --> 00:40:20,217 that you would add more fire on the ground 857 00:40:20,351 --> 00:40:21,619 to stop a fire, 858 00:40:21,752 --> 00:40:25,756 but burning-off operations are very effective. 859 00:40:25,890 --> 00:40:27,324 [Kelly] Okay, dragging that edge, nice. 860 00:40:27,458 --> 00:40:28,893 Let's go again. 861 00:40:30,928 --> 00:40:32,329 The pile that was lit up up there 862 00:40:32,463 --> 00:40:34,398 is looking a little precarious, 863 00:40:34,532 --> 00:40:35,733 so watch for rolling debris, okay? 864 00:40:35,866 --> 00:40:36,600 Okay. 865 00:40:39,703 --> 00:40:41,906 [Connor] The threat of losing a line 866 00:40:42,039 --> 00:40:43,607 always weighs heavily on me. 867 00:40:43,741 --> 00:40:46,477 I want to do the best that I can 868 00:40:46,610 --> 00:40:48,913 to hold the fire in areas that I want. 869 00:40:49,046 --> 00:40:51,782 I am worried that it can get out. 870 00:40:51,916 --> 00:40:53,617 Helco, I believe he's lost sight. 871 00:40:53,751 --> 00:40:55,586 You got, uh, Val 1 on the ground. 872 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:58,155 [Kelly] We're watching the wind super closely. 873 00:40:58,289 --> 00:41:00,357 I'm a little nervous it may be taking a turn. 874 00:41:10,668 --> 00:41:14,071 [birdsong] 875 00:41:16,140 --> 00:41:19,043 [door opening] 876 00:41:31,589 --> 00:41:33,390 [phone ringing] 877 00:41:33,524 --> 00:41:35,326 Hello? 878 00:41:36,660 --> 00:41:38,362 Yeah, we got a load on. We're ready to go. 879 00:41:38,496 --> 00:41:40,664 We've got a full bus, two crews on, 880 00:41:40,798 --> 00:41:43,400 uh, another crew's in town getting food, 881 00:41:43,534 --> 00:41:44,702 but they should be back shortly, 882 00:41:44,835 --> 00:41:46,437 and we got plenty of mains, so no issues there. 883 00:41:47,638 --> 00:41:48,472 [wind-up siren wailing] 884 00:41:48,606 --> 00:41:50,341 [Greg] All right... 885 00:41:51,509 --> 00:41:52,409 [siren wailing down] 886 00:41:52,543 --> 00:41:53,410 [Greg] We have a target. 887 00:41:53,544 --> 00:41:54,378 You can go ahead and suit up. 888 00:41:54,512 --> 00:41:57,815 [engine powering up] 889 00:41:58,749 --> 00:42:00,484 [Naomi] Usually when the bell goes off, 890 00:42:00,618 --> 00:42:02,519 your adrenaline spikes a little, 891 00:42:02,653 --> 00:42:03,587 and then rush over to the suit-up rack. 892 00:42:03,721 --> 00:42:05,890 [crew cheering] Whoo! 893 00:42:06,023 --> 00:42:07,191 [Greg] Anderson, Young, Christiansen, 894 00:42:07,324 --> 00:42:09,193 Fulthorpe, Loveless, you're jumping! 895 00:42:11,695 --> 00:42:13,430 [Tom] We're sending six jumpers to this fire. 896 00:42:13,564 --> 00:42:14,565 Uh, sounds like there is a road nearby, 897 00:42:14,698 --> 00:42:17,935 but it'd probably be about six hours 898 00:42:18,068 --> 00:42:19,236 for the closest crew to drive there, 899 00:42:19,370 --> 00:42:22,506 whereas we should be a little under 40 minutes. 900 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:24,909 We'll want to be on this one quickly 901 00:42:25,042 --> 00:42:25,509 while there's still a chance to hold it. 902 00:42:25,643 --> 00:42:29,713 [♪♪♪] 903 00:42:31,715 --> 00:42:33,617 [Naomi] So, this is my first year. 904 00:42:33,751 --> 00:42:36,854 I'm a rookie smoke jumper. 905 00:42:37,888 --> 00:42:40,424 It's definitely hard coming in as a rookie 906 00:42:40,557 --> 00:42:42,793 in a crazy year. 907 00:42:42,927 --> 00:42:44,194 Sometimes I'm chill. 908 00:42:44,328 --> 00:42:45,629 Sometimes I've got a lot of adrenaline. 909 00:42:45,763 --> 00:42:47,164 It really depends on the day. 910 00:42:50,100 --> 00:42:53,237 It's definitely a very overwhelming experience, 911 00:42:53,370 --> 00:42:54,438 I would say. 912 00:42:54,572 --> 00:42:57,675 [♪♪♪] 913 00:43:10,087 --> 00:43:11,989 [Tom] This is just a small fire 914 00:43:12,122 --> 00:43:14,725 off the west, uh, shore of Williston Lake, 915 00:43:14,858 --> 00:43:16,427 in some old logging. 916 00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:17,661 We'll have to assess it once we get there, 917 00:43:17,795 --> 00:43:19,597 but if the lake's close enough, 918 00:43:19,730 --> 00:43:21,432 they'll probably pump their water from the lake 919 00:43:24,735 --> 00:43:27,438 Once we have selected the spot, 920 00:43:27,571 --> 00:43:28,339 then we go over, 921 00:43:28,472 --> 00:43:30,240 we toss out wind drift indicators 922 00:43:30,374 --> 00:43:31,508 over the spot... 923 00:43:34,578 --> 00:43:35,279 which will drift back, 924 00:43:35,412 --> 00:43:37,314 give us how many yards of drift, 925 00:43:37,448 --> 00:43:41,385 and we'll select a spot upwind of that, equal distant. 926 00:43:45,723 --> 00:43:47,157 [Naomi] Greg's the spotter, 927 00:43:47,291 --> 00:43:49,660 so he's in charge of making sure we go out the door 928 00:43:49,793 --> 00:43:51,295 at the right time to get into the spot, 929 00:43:51,428 --> 00:43:53,597 and he's telling you where he's letting you out, 930 00:43:53,731 --> 00:43:54,531 where you're supposed to land, 931 00:43:54,665 --> 00:43:57,868 the wind, and any hazards. 932 00:44:14,685 --> 00:44:15,686 [Naomi] The consequences 933 00:44:15,819 --> 00:44:17,655 if you don't make it into the drop zone, 934 00:44:17,788 --> 00:44:19,390 you maybe get hung up in a tree or something, 935 00:44:19,523 --> 00:44:21,158 so you don't want to get injured on a fire jump. 936 00:44:21,291 --> 00:44:22,926 That's no fun. You're in the middle of nowhere. 937 00:44:23,827 --> 00:44:25,896 [Tom] When they hear the "get ready," 938 00:44:26,030 --> 00:44:26,897 that's when they tighten, 939 00:44:27,031 --> 00:44:28,065 because they know the slap is coming, 940 00:44:28,198 --> 00:44:30,968 and then the slap is the indicator to exit the plane. 941 00:44:35,639 --> 00:44:37,107 [♪♪♪] 942 00:44:39,777 --> 00:44:42,513 [Tom] It's a very focused time for people, 943 00:44:42,646 --> 00:44:43,547 because if you make a mistake 944 00:44:43,681 --> 00:44:45,883 and you can become twisted on exit, 945 00:44:46,016 --> 00:44:47,751 that delays you in your ability 946 00:44:47,885 --> 00:44:49,319 to steer towards the drop zone. 947 00:44:56,860 --> 00:44:57,695 [Tom] When you're in the door 948 00:44:57,828 --> 00:44:59,863 of an aircraft circling the fire, 949 00:44:59,997 --> 00:45:01,899 there's no bills to pay, there's no future, 950 00:45:02,032 --> 00:45:04,935 there's no things that happened in the past. 951 00:45:05,069 --> 00:45:07,571 It's a natural, meditative, in the moment presence. 952 00:45:07,704 --> 00:45:09,606 It's unbeatable. 953 00:45:09,740 --> 00:45:11,742 [Naomi] Right before you jump, 954 00:45:11,875 --> 00:45:13,877 that's like a moment of peace, 955 00:45:14,011 --> 00:45:15,012 which is quite nice. 956 00:45:25,556 --> 00:45:26,724 [Naomi] As you exit, you're in a tight cannonball. 957 00:45:26,857 --> 00:45:29,259 Sometimes feels like you're in a bit of a washing machine. 958 00:45:29,393 --> 00:45:30,594 It's kind of my favourite part, 959 00:45:30,728 --> 00:45:34,465 and then it's really gentle when your canopy opens up. 960 00:45:34,598 --> 00:45:37,301 It's also super cool. 961 00:45:37,434 --> 00:45:39,269 You have, like, maybe a second to look around, 962 00:45:39,403 --> 00:45:41,739 but I'm not usually enjoying the view. 963 00:45:41,872 --> 00:45:44,608 I'm usually looking where my stick partner is, 964 00:45:44,742 --> 00:45:45,776 and at the drop zone, 965 00:45:45,909 --> 00:45:48,212 and trying to figure out how to get there safely, 966 00:45:48,345 --> 00:45:49,813 and it happens really fast. 967 00:45:49,947 --> 00:45:52,349 It's only, like, 60 seconds or something. 968 00:45:56,620 --> 00:45:57,654 So now that the jumpers 969 00:45:57,788 --> 00:45:58,822 have safely exited the aircraft and landed, 970 00:45:58,956 --> 00:46:02,059 there's 1,300-ish pounds of cargo 971 00:46:02,192 --> 00:46:03,260 to get out of the plane... 972 00:46:05,429 --> 00:46:07,498 [Tom] ...as quickly as safely possible... 973 00:46:09,967 --> 00:46:12,069 [Tom] ...while keeping your eyes off of the horizon 974 00:46:12,202 --> 00:46:13,771 in an aircraft that's pulling Gs, 975 00:46:13,904 --> 00:46:16,440 it's not an easy task to do, 976 00:46:16,573 --> 00:46:17,074 and you often don't feel quite right 977 00:46:17,207 --> 00:46:19,843 when you're doing it. 978 00:46:19,977 --> 00:46:22,813 It's like a cross between fishing on a fishing vessel 979 00:46:22,946 --> 00:46:25,249 and running an Indy 500. 980 00:46:25,382 --> 00:46:27,518 [♪♪♪] 981 00:46:35,259 --> 00:46:37,327 Once the jumpers land, 982 00:46:37,461 --> 00:46:38,695 they're just like all the other wildland firefighters. 983 00:46:38,829 --> 00:46:41,899 The job is to put the fire out. 984 00:46:42,966 --> 00:46:43,767 I would calculate that this will take 985 00:46:43,901 --> 00:46:46,203 about two days for them to put out, 986 00:46:46,336 --> 00:46:47,971 so they'll be overnighting tonight, for sure, 987 00:46:48,105 --> 00:46:49,339 and possibly one more night, 988 00:46:49,473 --> 00:46:52,075 depending on how deep the fire has dug in. 989 00:46:53,010 --> 00:46:55,145 They have a lot of work ahead of them. 990 00:47:11,628 --> 00:47:13,096 [Kelly] Let's go again. 991 00:47:14,665 --> 00:47:17,401 [Connor] We're going to do a Hail Mary burn up top, 992 00:47:17,534 --> 00:47:18,902 get some of the fuel burnt off before the fire gets there, 993 00:47:19,036 --> 00:47:21,939 and see if we can contain it up the hill. 994 00:47:23,140 --> 00:47:25,142 So we'll see what happens with aerial here, 995 00:47:25,275 --> 00:47:26,844 but, uh, once they give us the signal, 996 00:47:26,977 --> 00:47:28,345 we'll start with a couple strips, 997 00:47:28,478 --> 00:47:30,047 if it torques a little bit, I'm fine with that, 998 00:47:30,180 --> 00:47:31,582 just to get it pushing that way. 999 00:47:31,882 --> 00:47:35,652 Yeah, you got us, just down the drainage there, eh? 1000 00:47:35,786 --> 00:47:38,188 I got ya there. 1001 00:47:38,322 --> 00:47:39,823 [Dion] Once there's crews on the fire, 1002 00:47:39,957 --> 00:47:41,692 you've got to be very accurate, 1003 00:47:41,825 --> 00:47:44,828 and you've also gotta be able to drop the water in such a way 1004 00:47:44,962 --> 00:47:47,431 that you don't fan the fire 1005 00:47:47,564 --> 00:47:48,932 with the downwash of the rotor blades, 1006 00:47:49,066 --> 00:47:50,901 so there's a bit of an art to that, 1007 00:47:51,034 --> 00:47:52,703 getting the bucket over, 1008 00:47:52,836 --> 00:47:53,937 but not loitering for too long 1009 00:47:54,071 --> 00:47:58,876 to let your downwash affect the fire. 1010 00:47:59,009 --> 00:48:01,678 When you've got a lot of fuel onboard, 1011 00:48:01,812 --> 00:48:04,114 you've gotta vary the amount of water slightly, 1012 00:48:04,248 --> 00:48:06,750 and then as you burn off fuel, 1013 00:48:06,884 --> 00:48:08,752 you can increase the amount of water, 1014 00:48:08,885 --> 00:48:13,824 so we're always trying to fly maximum amount of payload. 1015 00:48:18,028 --> 00:48:20,497 Go for ground. 1016 00:48:24,735 --> 00:48:26,803 That's not very good. 1017 00:48:34,711 --> 00:48:36,713 Yeah, I could probably take a torch or two up 1018 00:48:36,847 --> 00:48:38,982 and at least armour this side in the avi path a bit, 1019 00:48:39,116 --> 00:48:39,916 if that works? 1020 00:48:45,422 --> 00:48:48,392 [Kelly] So, the wind is an incredible factor 1021 00:48:48,525 --> 00:48:51,328 when it comes to fire behaviour. 1022 00:48:51,461 --> 00:48:53,497 It pushes the flames along the topography, 1023 00:48:53,630 --> 00:48:57,234 preheats the fuel that the flames will spread into. 1024 00:48:57,367 --> 00:48:59,836 It's a lot harder to control. 1025 00:48:59,970 --> 00:49:01,071 When we try to burn, 1026 00:49:01,204 --> 00:49:03,307 we try to use convective forces to our favour, 1027 00:49:03,440 --> 00:49:06,009 and a lot of times, the wind can overpower that, 1028 00:49:06,143 --> 00:49:08,145 and then just push the fire in directions 1029 00:49:08,278 --> 00:49:11,515 that sometimes we do not want it to go. 1030 00:49:12,816 --> 00:49:13,784 What we're seeing here 1031 00:49:13,917 --> 00:49:14,918 is pushing pretty hard across, 1032 00:49:15,052 --> 00:49:16,987 but, uh, if we did pop up now, 1033 00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:19,690 we might be able to slow it down and keep it high. 1034 00:49:26,630 --> 00:49:28,165 [Connor] Yeah, copy that. Moving up. 1035 00:49:28,298 --> 00:49:30,467 I'll take two torches. 1036 00:49:31,034 --> 00:49:32,836 Let's get this going. 1037 00:49:32,969 --> 00:49:34,204 Let's get this hot. 1038 00:49:34,338 --> 00:49:35,839 Want to start here, Noah? 1039 00:49:35,972 --> 00:49:37,040 I want a strip straight across. 1040 00:49:37,174 --> 00:49:40,110 Like this, this angle here. 1041 00:49:40,243 --> 00:49:41,345 Lucas, you follow. 1042 00:49:41,478 --> 00:49:43,046 Noah's gonna come back for one more, 1043 00:49:43,180 --> 00:49:43,981 and then you'll follow him back. 1044 00:49:46,750 --> 00:49:48,985 Try to build some heat over there! 1045 00:49:49,119 --> 00:49:50,053 All right, bring it back. 1046 00:49:50,187 --> 00:49:52,189 Let's build it in this pile here. 1047 00:49:52,322 --> 00:49:54,858 I want these drips a little quicker. 1048 00:49:54,992 --> 00:49:57,127 Let's walk it up a little bit higher. 1049 00:49:57,260 --> 00:50:00,964 Noah, go a little further out in a strip back to Lucas. 1050 00:50:01,098 --> 00:50:02,966 Ow! 1051 00:50:03,100 --> 00:50:04,801 [Connor] Box it up there, Lukie. 1052 00:50:06,370 --> 00:50:07,904 Okay, two strips back this way. 1053 00:50:08,038 --> 00:50:09,573 Luke, box here. 1054 00:50:11,808 --> 00:50:13,076 Guys, to the edge! 1055 00:50:13,210 --> 00:50:15,045 Box down, two back! 1056 00:50:15,178 --> 00:50:17,814 Okay, it's pulling nicely. 1057 00:50:17,948 --> 00:50:18,915 Two more strips back! 1058 00:50:20,717 --> 00:50:22,152 Yeah, let's get those extra three torches 1059 00:50:22,285 --> 00:50:24,287 bumped up to where you guys were there, please. 1060 00:50:26,656 --> 00:50:27,524 There's the wind. 1061 00:50:27,657 --> 00:50:28,592 I know. 1062 00:50:43,807 --> 00:50:45,942 Let's move down. 1063 00:50:47,844 --> 00:50:49,513 Goddamn it. 1064 00:50:51,515 --> 00:50:52,749 [Connor] We had significant uptick in wind, 1065 00:50:52,883 --> 00:50:54,017 and fuels drying out over recent days. 1066 00:50:54,151 --> 00:50:56,453 Standby, 1. 1067 00:50:56,586 --> 00:50:57,621 [Connor] Because of these moving pieces, 1068 00:50:57,754 --> 00:50:59,022 I feel like we were slow to the punch on this one. 1069 00:51:04,161 --> 00:51:04,961 Yeah, we're already a good distance down. 1070 00:51:05,095 --> 00:51:06,129 They can get going. 1071 00:51:11,068 --> 00:51:12,636 Let's back up. 1072 00:51:12,769 --> 00:51:15,972 As this gets closer, they're gonna wanna drop lower. 1073 00:51:17,841 --> 00:51:20,944 [laughing] Oh, yeah, that's fuckin' white across. 1074 00:51:21,077 --> 00:51:22,412 That's not very good. 1075 00:51:26,249 --> 00:51:28,985 To be up close to a really intense fire, 1076 00:51:29,119 --> 00:51:31,988 sometimes you feel very powerful, 1077 00:51:32,122 --> 00:51:34,257 and sometimes you feel very powerless. 1078 00:51:34,391 --> 00:51:35,792 [sighing] There we go. 1079 00:51:35,926 --> 00:51:37,294 Thank you. 1080 00:51:37,427 --> 00:51:38,895 You can do all the right things, 1081 00:51:39,029 --> 00:51:40,163 and just put in several days of really amazing work, 1082 00:51:40,297 --> 00:51:42,065 and then the wind shifts... 1083 00:51:43,133 --> 00:51:45,769 [grunting with effort] 1084 00:51:45,902 --> 00:51:48,004 Fucking shit! 1085 00:51:49,606 --> 00:51:52,576 ...and everything you just did was lost. 1086 00:51:53,276 --> 00:51:57,447 [♪♪♪] 1087 00:52:09,226 --> 00:52:10,160 [Kelly] Southeast Fire Centre, 1088 00:52:10,293 --> 00:52:11,795 Valhalla 1. 1089 00:52:15,398 --> 00:52:16,600 [Kelly] Yeah, Fire Centre, 1090 00:52:16,733 --> 00:52:17,334 you can check Valhalla Unit Crew 1091 00:52:17,467 --> 00:52:21,705 as departed November 21453. 1092 00:52:21,838 --> 00:52:24,441 Uh, we're on good roads now, headed back to camp, 1093 00:52:24,574 --> 00:52:26,409 so no further check-ins for the evening. 1094 00:52:29,412 --> 00:52:31,548 Yeah, you as well. 1095 00:52:31,681 --> 00:52:32,749 Val 1 clear. 1096 00:52:34,851 --> 00:52:37,654 [Connor] Sometimes it feels really futile, 1097 00:52:37,787 --> 00:52:39,322 what we're doing. 1098 00:52:42,325 --> 00:52:44,161 [Connor] It comes with a lot of sweat, 1099 00:52:44,294 --> 00:52:46,196 a lot of dirt and ash. 1100 00:52:46,329 --> 00:52:47,898 Sometimes you're eating a lot of smoke, 1101 00:52:48,031 --> 00:52:49,699 but it also feels really good, you know? 1102 00:52:49,833 --> 00:52:52,135 You just know that you kinda put it all out on the line, 1103 00:52:52,269 --> 00:52:55,839 and hopefully, you get lots of successful days, 1104 00:52:55,972 --> 00:52:56,973 and if you don't, 1105 00:52:57,107 --> 00:52:57,841 you regroup 1106 00:52:57,974 --> 00:52:59,309 and tackle it again the next day. 1107 00:52:59,442 --> 00:53:00,243 [♪♪♪] 1108 00:53:06,116 --> 00:53:07,817 [door closing] 1109 00:53:07,951 --> 00:53:09,986 [♪♪♪] 1110 00:53:23,533 --> 00:53:25,468 Next week on Wildfire... 1111 00:53:28,672 --> 00:53:31,041 When it started looking like a volcano, 1112 00:53:31,174 --> 00:53:32,342 it really indicated 1113 00:53:32,475 --> 00:53:34,611 that we were going to be dealing with a major situation. 1114 00:53:36,012 --> 00:53:37,247 [helicopter overhead] 1115 00:53:37,380 --> 00:53:40,083 -We gotta hurry. -Daddy... 1116 00:53:40,217 --> 00:53:41,184 Let's go, let's go! 1117 00:53:41,318 --> 00:53:43,186 Up on the seat. 1118 00:53:43,320 --> 00:53:46,289 It jumped Okanagan Lake yesterday. 1119 00:53:46,423 --> 00:53:49,459 We're closer than that right now. 1120 00:53:49,593 --> 00:53:52,963 If the fire's too remote, we also have the rapellers. 1121 00:53:53,096 --> 00:53:58,668 We act as initial attack, and we access fires. 1122 00:53:59,536 --> 00:54:02,272 Uh-oh, there's a new fire. 1123 00:54:02,405 --> 00:54:04,207 That's not good. 1124 00:54:04,341 --> 00:54:08,111 The fire was moving too fast for any actions to be taken. 1125 00:54:08,244 --> 00:54:11,147 At that point, I just said, "No, pulling out. 1126 00:54:11,281 --> 00:54:13,216 Everybody out of here. 1127 00:54:13,350 --> 00:54:15,485 That's way too involved now."