Charlie Lake firefighters answer the call in Merritt

A couple of Charlie Lake firefighters are away from home for the next two weeks, after the department answered a request from the BC Wildfire Service for some extra help with the wildfire response around Merritt.

Lt. Chris Pelley and Lt. Miranda Moineau stand with Tactical Tender 1 prior to deploying to the Merritt area in support of BC Wildfire Service response efforts. Photo from Peace River Regional District

Lt. Chris Pelley and Lt. Miranda Moineau left Aug. 8 with Tactical Tender 1, heading south for a 14-day assignment that will have them working with crews coming together from different parts of B.C. while wildfire activity continues in the area.

For Charlie Lake, it means sending two of its own firefighters and a piece of equipment quite a ways from home, something PRRD Board Chair Brad Sperling said reflects well on both the department and the community they represent.

"Chris and Miranda are great representatives of the Charlie Lake Fire Department and our community," said PRRD Board Chair Brad Sperling. "We're proud to see them taking their skills and experience where they're needed most. We wish them a safe deployment and thank them for their commitment to helping others."

Once there, Pelley and Moineau will be helping with wildfire suppression activities and efforts to protect communities affected by the ongoing wildfire activity, working alongside some of the other crews being brought in from around British Columbia.

The deployment is being done through a provincewide system which allows local fire departments to send firefighters and equipment elsewhere when additional resources are needed, putting crews from communities like Charlie Lake to work where that extra help has been requested.