Nunavik firefighters receive training to fight forest fires

Firefighters from eight Nunavik communities gathered in Kuujjuaq in June for a two-day training course on fighting forest fires.

“The risk is getting greater in the north,” said Mitch Vail, coordinator of civil security operations for the Kativik Regional Government, which organized the training.

“There were several major fires last year,” he said.

“They never posed a threat to any community, but it was certainly enough for us to take notice.”

Firefighters from eight of Nunavik’s southernmost communities, which are most vulnerable to wildfires, received kits containing water pumps, hoses, nozzles and “everything you need to respond to a wildfire,” Vail said.

Then SOPFEU, a Quebec association dedicated to protecting forests from fires, visited Kuujjuaq to train firefighters in using the new equipment.

Vail said the first day of training consisted of classroom instruction, while the second day featured hands-on sessions where participants could familiarize themselves with how to set up the kits and how to use them.

“The risk is already there,” Vail said.

“(This training) is to prepare for what I believe is inevitable.”

The communities most at risk are Kuujjuaq, Kuujjuaraapik, Kangiqsualujjuaq and Umiujaq, because of the trees growing near them.

The remaining communities are vulnerable to tundra fires that start in brush. Vail said those types of fires can be just as volatile and dangerous as forest fires.

The plan is for the remaining six northernmost communities to receive the same training next year.

“There was a camaraderie at the training,” Vail said. “The firefighters took it seriously, they volunteered.”

He added that in the coming months, the focus will be on offering different types of firefighting training.

Typically, SOPFEU responds to forest fires in Nunavik, but training local firefighters allows for a faster and more effective response.

“They have the manpower, the air support, everything we need as far as our capabilities allow us to fight these fires,” Vail said.

According to the SOPFEU website, over the past 10 years, Quebec has had an average of 299 forest fires per year.