1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,519 Speaker 1: Fire and Emergency recently sent a forty three strong team 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: to Manitoba, Canada, this to help in the fight against 3 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: raging wildfires. One of the task force leaders happens to 4 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: be a good friend of the show and local Steve Oxner. 5 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: He stopped by to reflect on a distinctly unique experience 6 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:21,599 Speaker 1: which saw him go camping. 7 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 2: Generally, most of the fire fighting around the world, you've 8 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 2: got set accommodation and you'll you'll fly into a job 9 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,560 Speaker 2: or just drive and work from trucks. Yeah, in this case, 10 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 2: because it's so remote, fly in and basically with everything, cookers, food, Yes, 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 2: we were staying five days. There's one hundred thousand lakes 12 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,599 Speaker 2: in Manitoba, oh my gosh. And so that you know, 13 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 2: it's absolutely stunning, absolutely amazing. Yeah, boreal forest, so spruce 14 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 2: trees and just as far as you can see, and flat, 15 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 2: completely flat. Really it makes it challenging because in between 16 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 2: the rivers and lakes are wetlands, and so you're walking 17 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 2: on what they call muskeg, which is if you imagine 18 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 2: swamp with a layer of a thick carpet and you 19 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,759 Speaker 2: have to try and walk through that to work. Oh man, 20 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 2: So that's so yeah, wet boots and it's hard lived 21 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 2: on your knees, really high, and. 22 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 1: It's like a crosswork out. 23 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,320 Speaker 2: The closest I've come across in New Zealand is the 24 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 2: West Coast. It's spagnum moss basically growing on top of 25 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 2: these wetlands. Really interesting. If you break through then you're 26 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 2: going to potentially a long way down, you know. But 27 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 2: the helicopters were landing on there. That's where helipads were 28 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 2: in those open areas. 29 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: So, oh my gosh. 30 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 2: We had the helicopters. When they landed, they had to 31 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 2: be holding full power because they couldn't land usually settle 32 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 2: on it unless we built them a wooden structure. 33 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: And then what do you do? Jump out and hope 34 00:01:58,920 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: you don't. 35 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 2: Think, jump out, sink up to your knees and try 36 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 2: and carry all your boxes and gear, you know, to 37 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 2: dry hard land. 38 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, oh my gosh, so swamp water. What are you 39 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: doing fighting fires there? It doesn't sound like it's very 40 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: combustible drain. 41 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 2: Extremely combustible, yeah, how yeah. So the trees, you know, 42 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 2: the boy All forests basically conifers. Yeah, extremely flammable and 43 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 2: you would see trees what we call candlings. So they 44 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 2: would disburst into flame and just one tree singularly, you know, 45 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 2: go up and flame, maybe a couple more wre together, 46 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 2: and then it had died down. 47 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: And yeah, what's causing these fires. 48 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 2: Predominantly well, a bit of everything, but mostly probably lightning. 49 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: Oh my god. 50 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 2: And while we were working on that fire was one 51 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:56,799 Speaker 2: hundred and sixty thousand hectares a cross lake fire. Yeah, 52 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 2: but while we were working, thunderstorms had come through, and 53 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 2: then a couple of days later you'd get lightning. You know, 54 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 2: the fire would come from that lightning strike. 55 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. 56 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 2: So then we would be tasked to do initial attack 57 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 2: and would jump in our transport helicopter, which is quite 58 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 2: a big machine, can carry ten twelve people, and you 59 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 2: would fly into initial attack to put out that fire 60 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 2: before it got too big.