FIRELINE NEWSLETTER

Aviation and Forest Fire Management | June Edition 2009

________________________________________________________________________________________________

FireRanger's Assist in B.C.

AFFM staff have been deployed to British Colombia today

to assist with forest fire fighting duties there. As well, On
Thursday June 18 fire fighting staff will be deployed to
assist in Alberta. On Friday June 12, 64 personnel from
13 different Fire Management Headquarters across the
province were deployed to Fort St. John and Prince
George, BC. Resources include: three (20 person)
Ontario FireRanger crews, two Fire Behaviour Specialists,
a trainee and one Agency Representative.

114 personnel departed on Tuesday March 16 from Sudbury and Dryden, Ontario going to
Prince George, BC.

Also, Ontario will send two CL-415 waterbombers and a Birddog (observation) aircraft to
Alberta Tuesday June 16. An additional two CL-415 waterbombers and a Birddog aircraft as
well as 118 ground personnel (Ontario FireRangers and support staff) will be going to Alberta
Thursday June 18.

Last year’s quiet fire season and this year’s slow start make this activity of particular interest
to everyone. All the hard work of these crews and their leaders during training earlier this year
combined with their past experience and high skill levels make Ontario crews a most welcome
resource when we go to other jurisdictions. We wish them safe travel and a successful
mission.

Current forest fire situation reports:

Ontario: www.ontario.ca/forestfire
British Columbia: www.bcwildfire.ca/Situation
 Alberta: www.srd.gov.ab.ca/wildfires/information/default.aspx

Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre http://www.ciffc.ca

For current information on out of province dispatches see our intranet, MEOC Bulletin Board:
http://mnrweb.mnr.gov.on.ca/fsd/affmb/bulletin_board/pfcfireboard/pfcfireboard.htm -select
Out of Province Resources List

By Art Osborne, Communication Advisor Planner

Commemorative BBQ for Kent Cousineau

As we are all aware we lost a colleague and friend

Kent Cousineau in a tragic accident last year. A
commemorative BBQ was held in his honour on May
13 during the lunch-hour. A moment of silence was
held with a lone piper in honour of Kent. Employees
at the forest fire management centre were fortunate
enough to hear the words that Kent’s father had to
share with everyone. Mr. Cousineau urged the staff
in attendance to go home to their families, make
sure to take care of each other and that everyone is
kept safe. The most important thing he wanted
people to remember was that your work is not more
important than your own safety.

By: Jean H. Quesnelle, Crew Leader, Sudbury

2008 Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact Prevention Award

Recipient
 It is with great pleasure that the Aviation Forest Fire
Management Branch announces the recipient of the 2008
Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact Prevention Award. This
year’s recipient was Deputy Fire Chief Ken Kurz of
Dryden, Ontario.

This award is presented to an individual for their

outstanding support in the prevention and education of
wildfire programs throughout the Great Lakes Forest Fire
Compact (GLFFC) Area. The GLFFC area is represented
by the states of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the
provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.

In conjunction with his duties as a municipal Deputy Fire Chief with the City of Dryden Fire
Service, Deputy Kurz has spent countless hours involved in public education, awareness and
prevention initiatives. He has shown tremendous support and dedication at the municipal,
regional and provincial levels of wildfire prevention. Ken has been an active partner with the
Ministry of Natural Resources Fire Program here in the West Fire Region for many years.

In particular we would like to recognize Ken for his role in Fire Prevention and Suppression
through his involvement with FireCon, which is held in Thunder Bay annually. This regional
training and education program has helped Ontario’s Forest Fire Management program spread
the Forest Fire Prevention and Education message to municipal fire departments across the
entire West Fire Region. Ken’s continued efforts to keep the Aviation Forest Fire Management
program included in this worthwhile information exchange session is a great benefit to the Fire
Program here in the province.

Ken’s continuing support and promotion of fire prevention and education make him a worthy
recipient of the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact Prevention Award.
Congratulation Deputy Fire Chief Ken Kurz.

By Malcolm Robertson, Fire Advisor

Building the Leader In You

In early February of 2009 a small task team comprised of John MacDonald (Regional Training
Officer), Debbie Canning (Fire Clerk), Bonnie Culverhouse (Administrative Clerk), Walt
Lesenke (Acting Fire Management Supervisor), Rhonda Smith (Consultant), and myself Pat
Harvey (Acting Special Projects Manager) got together to begin developing the Operational
Leadership Stream’s entry level course called “Building the Leader in You”.

Download a Leadership Crossword Here

In late April we held two training sessions for our 33 facilitator-trainers, one in Sudbury at the
Regional Fire Centre and one in Thunder Bay at the Fire Management Headquarters. The staff
that attended provided us with great feedback and a good sense that we were heading in the
right direction. The task team regrouped and with that feedback in hand tweaked and retooled
the course. In late June the task team and facilitator-trainers will meet again to discuss the
changes to the course. That means that this course will be rolling out to you early this
summer.

You’re probably wondering “What is this all about?” or maybe “Why should this matter to me?”
Well, good leadership is essential to our business in AFFM. If we want to continue to develop
as a learning organization then we need to start learning about leadership.

NOTE: The “Building the Leader in You” course is a part of a larger leadership project currently
underway within AFFM. If you want to get the big picture, check out the AFFM Conversations
titled Leadership Pathways Session recorded back on February 18th, 2009.

I think that each of us is a leader within, for some it is more obvious than in others. When it
comes to leadership we shouldn’t just think of work or positions. I think each of us is probably
put in a leadership role if not at work then probably in our private lives. When it comes to
work within the AFFM some of us are called upon to be leaders because of the position or role
we hold within the organization. And some of us might take up a leadership role based on our
knowledge or expertise for a specific project or assignment. Then there are the numerous
times that we are called upon or looked at as leaders and we may not even realize it at the
time. Wouldn’t it be great to learn something about leadership in order to become a better
leader?

The purpose of this course is to introduce the concepts of leadership and start the process of
building the leader within each of us. I mentioned earlier that the key to this course is in the
group discussions and activities. To get the most out of this course you need to be part of the
discussion, get your ideas heard and listen to what other people are saying. Every module has
at least one group discussion or activity, its not all power point slides. In a four hour period
your facilitator-trainer will take you through four modules.

MODULES
1. Leadership Fundamentals
2. Values and Principles
3. Interpersonal Communication
4. Leadership within a Team Environment

In Module 1 you will get a chance to explore the fundamentals of leadership; what qualities
and characteristics make a good leader, and what is your leadership style? Module 2 will help
you understand what values are; why do they matter to us and how can you link/relate your
values with the AFFM’s. Module 3 will provide you with some insight into how to get your
message across through active listening and effective responding techniques. And then we’ll
bring it all together in Module 4 where you will get a chance to try out your new leadership
skills in a team environment.

This course is the first of a number of leadership courses in the Operations Leadership Stream
that we will be developing and offering to staff over the next few years. I encourage everyone
that has the opportunity to take this course this summer to provide their facilitator-trainer
with constructive feedback. If there is something we can do to improve this course we want to
know. We started off as a task team and now we are hoping that you will join us, improving
this course as well as helping us to build the next ones.
By Pat Harvey, Acting Special Projects Supervisor , Kenora Fire Management
Headquarters

Provincial Conversations.. 3915 served

The information series, Provincial Conversations has

recently recorded its 30th session and had almost 4000
participants since February 2008, indicating the series is
meeting its objectives.
Established as another communications tool in response
to needs identified as part of our Moving Forward
Together efforts, Conversations is open to anyone
wanting to present a topic of branch-wide interest.
Contact the Provincial Aviation and Fire Information
Officer (art.osborne@ontario.caThis e-mail address is
being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript
enabled to view it ,705-945-5899) with your idea.
Coordinated WebEx scheduling through Sherry Kozak
(website specialist, Sault Ste. Marie) will
eliminate/minimize any scheduling conflicts with others
who may be using WebEx for operational presentations.
By Art Osborne, Communication Advisor Planner

MNR Women With A Heart For Africa

Marlene Rhyner from Dryden District, Carol

Colombo and Marianne Ayton both from Roberta
Bondar Place, Sault Ste. Marie, were part of a
women’s humanitarian group from Ontario that
spent three weeks in Africa during the month of
March 2009. The group of 14 consisted of
ordinary Canadian women sharing a common
desire to experience Africa and to reach out with
the skills, talents, and resources that they
possess to underprivileged women in Kenya. The
Ontario women worked along side of the Kenyan
people on numerous work projects, which
included:

- visiting orphanages and providing food, clothing/school uniforms, and other supplies
- cleaning, painting, and sewing curtains and cushions for a children’s library
- renovating women’s work centers and homes in slum areas
- presenting solar cooker technology to communities, slum, and tribal areas
- providing massages and beauty makeovers for women living with HIV/AIDS
- providing soccer jerseys for a girls’ soccer team in the slums
- providing ideas and assisting with micro-financing endeavours
- contributing to a women’s university scholarship fund

Our Personal Comments on the Experience:

There is no way to prepare oneself for Africa. We saw that even in the midst of great material
poverty there is a wealth of spirit; when people have nothing, they can share what little they
have with strangers; when friends and family are sick and dying, there is an abundance of
love and caring; with limited skills, there is a willingness to work hard and desire for new
opportunities; with limited resources, there is eagerness to learn and prepare for the future.
We met women who take ownership of their lives. The only thing these women wanted from
us was to know that we cared about them and to tell their stories. We cannot write in a couple
of paragraphs how much more we gained than we gave; how much more we learned than we
taught; and, how much we appreciate how valuable these amazing women of Africa are.

Personally visiting with and listening to the life stories of the Kenyan women shifts your
perceptions and thoughts so that you can see more clearly the hearts and the spirit of the
women of Africa. As you get to know each lady individually you see characteristics and
personalities that remind you of yourself, friends, or family members from home. These
women are not so different…they have a deep desire to expand and improve their lives, the
lives of their children, and to better the communities they live in. They have aspirations of
education, employment, and venues to express their individuality and creativity. It was such
a great privilege to become friends with the Kenyan women and to experience their bountiful
hospitality, endless joy, steadfast strength, and enduring hope in spite of their many
hardships.

Marlene, Carol and Marianne thank their co-workers for the generous financial contributions
towards the projects, as well as their moral support and enthusiasm!

Asante sana!

Marlene, Carol, Marianne

By Marianne Ayton, Corporate Applications Support Specialist Forest Division

Training for the FireRanger is a season-long routine

Preparation for the fire season training begins when the

snow still flies and the lakes are locked in ice. Of course,
this spring that could mean just last week, but we’re
actually talking about being ready by March! The training
plans are made, materials updated and sessions booked
to launch in early April when the crew leaders arrive first,
followed through the month with the remaining crew
members coming on.

This early training is considered Core 1 – Courses that

FireRangers must be current on prior to going to a fire.
This includes emergency and standard first aid, WHMIS,
 WDHP, Bear encounter training and orientation. The only
exception to this is TDG training for new hires who can
complete this training prior to the end of the season as
other members of the crew will have TDG training and be
in a position of direct supervision.

A crew leader seminar was held in Dryden on April 7-8 for the West Fire Region and a similar
seminar was held in the East Fire Region.

A National Advanced Fire Behaviour course was coordinated for Thunder Bay with students
from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the east coast.

The SP300 Initial Attack Incident Commander Course was scheduled to run from April 28 to
May 6th in Thunder Bay and the SP200 Type 1 Crew Boss Course was scheduled for Sudbury,
May 11th – May 15th. A SP200 Type 2 Crew Boss Course is presently in the planning stages
for Webequie for this season.

Once the crew bosses are back at their bases the FireRanger crews are finalized and they
begin their proficiency training! This training has been designed to increase the skill level of
each member on the crew and can be completed in the field or on a fire. This training is
conducted annually.

Logistics conducted training for their staff with Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) and
TDG by Air.

On top of that, each and every Fire Management Headquarters is trying to use every hour
during the work day to complete mandatory training before the fire situation escalates.

Core 2 training includes courses and proficiency modules that a FireRanger must complete
following training timelines. For some components this is before June 15 and for others it is to
be completed by the end of the season’s contract. It includes helicopter hover exit training,
the completion of a Restricted Radio Operator License and the viewing of a gravel bush driving
video, and a pro chainsaw operator course is a prerequisite for the senior crew member
position.

There are also four FireRanger crew proficiency modules. Module 1 covers the use of hand
tools, fuel handling and safety, the power pump, hose handling, retrieval and the application
of water, aircraft operations and ground ignition operations. Module 2 covers sprinklers; 2 ½”
Hose, bush orientations, foam, camp operations, Port-a-tanks and the remote access kit.
Module 3 and 4 include Initial Attack Incident Command Simulations and Fire Line Safety,
Hazardous fuels guidelines, working on steep terrain, first aid scenarios, certified chainsaw
work.

By Debbie MacLean, Fire Information/Marketing Specialist

Suppression Systems Review Project

Last November a Provincial Task Team was assembled to

review the Fire Program’s Suppression Systems and to
look for ways to enhance program capacity and efficiency
as well as provide recommendations in areas of
suppression systems for today and into the future. The
recommendations were to be provided in the form of
“concepts”.

The team included: Fred Welch (lead) (Suppression

Systems Review, Sudbury), Mike Shapland (Aerial Fire
Operations Specialist, Dryden), Rob Luik (Information
Management Specialist, Sault Ste. Marie), Shanna
Blomme (Fire Crew Leader, Sudbury) and Garry Harland
(Fire Operations Supervisor, Fort Frances).

The need for a review was driven by the following “Drivers for Change”:
1. Increase in hazardous fuel load.
2. Demand for increased flexibility in strategies & tactics.
3. Increase in wildland-urban interface.
4. Climate change.
5. Economy.

A Terms of Reference (TOR) was established for the project and a series of teleconference and
face to face meetings were held by the task team to establish the priorities and create an
action plan. Areas that were to be incorporated into the review included:
1. Fire suppression personnel and equipment.
2. Strategies & tactics
3. Aerial operations
The team began a series of investigations utilizing DFOSS data, reviewing past reports and
interviewing Ontario fire staff and fire staff from other jurisdictions. All concepts that came
forward out of these reviews and conversations had to prove that they improved the program
in a number of areas without producing unmanageable risk. These areas were termed the
projects “Guiding Principles” and they are:
1. Safety
2. Total cost management
3. Suppression efficiency
4. Provincial standardized design & flexibility
5. Environment

A draft report outlining the work to date and a series of best bets was presented to the
steering committee and FPMT at the end of February. FPMT approved several of the concepts
and the project is now in Phase 2. The type of products produced from this Phase 2 work will
depend on the nature of the concept. The products will range from strategic operating
procedures (SOP’s) to further more refined recommendations.

The concepts that have made it to Phase 2 include:

• Multifunctional aircraft
– Using one aircraft to fulfill multiple roles. Eg. Having a Detection aircraft that is capable of
crew movements.
• Intermediate water bombers
– Defining the application
• Heavy helicopters
– Defining the application.
• Bucketing on IA
– SOP development
• Hazardous fuels
– Improving strategies & tactics
• Optimized Fire Attack System (OFAS)
– Using experienced personnel for detection of critical fires.
• Double crewing CL-415s
– Defining the costs and benefits.
• Work force analysis
– Evaluation of suppression personnel
• Experience, roles, requirements…etc
• Flexible strike concept
– Encouraging the appropriate response
• Attack radius & Forward Attack Bases analysis
– Investigate the validity of the 60mi radius and the location of existing infrastructure.
• Suppression performance measures
– Develop a measure of the performance of our suppression system.
• Environmental evaluation of retardant & gel
• Infrared
– Define the aerial and ground role in the suppression system
• Heavy equipment
– Encourage appropriate use where beneficial.
• Wildfire Response Tankers
– Determine optimal numbers and utilization.

Fred Welch presented an update via a Webex presentation. This Webex presentation provides
more detail on many of the concepts. This presentation can be viewed by linking through the
following:
https://mnr.webex.com/mnr/ldr.php?AT=pb&SP=MC&rID=8001857&rKey=9010EF060FE48476

The concepts that have moved forward into Phase 2 will require much more detailed analysis.
The Task Team has engaged subject matter experts to assist with this task and will be visiting
the field throughout the summer to gather the detailed information necessary. As the concepts
develop the task team will continue to solicit input and provide updates on progress.

The Suppression Systems Review project is slated to finish December, 2009.

By Rob Luik (Information Management Specialist

Thunder Bay FireRangers Get Active Challenge

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit in partnership with

Take Heart Schools hosted their 6th annual “Turn off the
Screens and Get Active Challenge” during the week of
May 4th-8th 2009.

The goal of this annual event is to encourage a balanced,

healthy and active lifestyle for children and their families.
All of the events were free, or low-cost such as a
bowling, scavenger hunts, swimming, walking, mini putt,
playing basketball and hockey with the local Police
Department.
It also involved joining the MNR for a firefighting challenge. On Thursday, May 7, over 100
elementary school children and their families joined a Thunder Bay FMH FireRanger crew at
Marina Park where they got a taste for the job.

Many eagerly participated in the carrying of a (lighter) hose-pack, pulling a simulated charged
hose, spraying targets down with back-pack pumps, and doing some upright rows. The
evening was full of fun, laughter, challenges, and of course, some sweat. The FireRanger Crew
thoroughly enjoyed leading the event that day and look forward to doing it again!

By Kristy Orsztynowicz

Training of fire department volunteers

Saturday May 2nd was a cool yet sunny day in the

Thunder Bay district. Two FireRanger crews set out to
the Conmee Fire Hall to teach S103 training to
approximately 60 energetic volunteer fire fighters from
across the district. The training began the evening before
with a classroom session that included an Air Attack
Safety presentation delivered by Dennis Gillhooley, which
was very well received.

We began our Saturday session inside the classroom

discussing the fundamentals of using the rigid back pack
pump, troubleshooting the single action trombone, hand
tool retrieval and the components of the Wajax Mark III
power pump.

This classroom session prompted discussion on an array of topics including the use of Class A
foam with the power pump and the rigid back pack pump and hickory versus fibreglass
handles on hand tools. There was also discussion on fire line safety and radio
communications.

After the theory portion of the morning wrapped up, the brigade convoyed up the highway to
the practical training site, where we divided everyone into crews consisting of one OMNR
representative and a volunteer fire department.
Each crew received one pumping unit consisting of a Mark III power pump and all of its
components, two bags of hose (one part I and one part II) and a shovel. The remainder of
the morning was spent going over the pump components and setup, troubleshooting,
housekeeping and ensuring that everyone was comfortable starting the pump.

At noon, the brigade once again convoyed back down the highway to the fire hall for lunch, of
which there was no short supply! The volunteer fire fighters and their families put on quite a
spread including grilled smokies, hamburgers and veggie burgers, coleslaw, salads, beans,
fruit and deserts. It was delicious and everyone enjoyed warming up and filling up.

Over the lunch hour people from different organizations mingled with each other and I was
provided the opportunity to get a tour of the Conmee fire rescue truck that houses bunker
gear and medical aid and travels to every fire responded to by this department.

After lunch we all headed back to the training site to work on nozzle application, hose lays,
strangling and meloning. My crew was just beginning our first back pass when low and behold
a fire was announced over the radios! All 60 of them! We had groups of people from different
organizations, dressed in different apparel all huddled around a handheld radio listening to
dispatch and to the Bird Dog.

Conmee was dispatched first, I thought this was fitting as they were my crew and would leave
me to melon all of the hose, but they were turned back. After the Air Attack Officer completed
his initial scouting report of the fire he flew directly over our training site and offered a
demonstration of a flight path accompanied by his siren. This brought smiles to many faces.
By this point, it was late in the afternoon and the only thing left to do was melon the hose and
zero-balance our equipment.

The entire day was a huge success. There was an array of training that took place, and a lot
of laughs had by all. I can personally say that it is one of the best days that I have had in a
long while, and working with other organizations gives me an appreciation for the different
experience levels and expertise that these resources possess. I hope that I will have the
privilege of being a part of this training next year.

By Becky Fawcett

Leadership - Red #10 1996

This month I thought I would circle back to the picture used in last month’s article. After the
FireLine newsletter came out I received a number of emails and phone calls from friends
asking about the picture. Questions like; “Was it me in the picture?” and “What was I doing
waist deep in the swamp with a camp bag over my head?”. Well, as with most pictures there is
a story behind it and as I answered all of those fun questions I realized that the story had a lot
to do with leadership.

This picture was taken on Red #10 on June 9th, 1996. It was my first fire season as a Crew
Leader and up to this point my crew had been on three or four small fires together. Red #10
would be the biggest fire for us as a crew. That summer I was living out in St. Paul’s Bay in a
cabin, a couple of minutes by boat from the Fire Centre. The day Red #10 started was a day
off for me and my crew. I can’t remember what was planned to do that day, but those plans
soon changed when I saw a large, grey smoke column off to the west. I was down at the dock
getting ready to head into town when I looked up to see that typical mushroom cloud column
looming over the horizon. Back then there were few if any cell phones in Red Lake and the
cabin I was renting didn’t have a phone, so I decided to drop by the base and see what was
happening.

I arrived at the Fire Centre and found out that Lee Austen was the Sector Response Officer
(back then I think we still called them Officers In Charge or OIC’s). As you can imagine Lee
was pretty busy with phone calls and radio traffic. Red #10 had started on Viking Island on
Douglas Lake approximately 2 ½ basemaps or 18 miles due west of the Fire Centre. It had
jumped to the mainland and was heading directly towards the Bow Narrows Lake Lodge. It’s
no wonder I could see the column from St. Paul’s Bay.

When there was a break in the action I asked if he needed me to find my crew and bring
them. Lee had already sent a number of crews to the fire and was definitely looking for more.
He told me that Garry Harland was the Fire Boss and that when I had my crew ready to go we
would be heading out to the fire.

It didn’t take long for me to find my crew. Most of them lived up the road at the bunkhouse
and I think they knew they were going to get called in. We got our gear ready and soon found
ourselves on a helicopter heading due west to Red #10.

By this point, the fire was burning in spruce budworm damaged stands and there were a
number of spot fires off the head. Gary Harland gave us the game plan as we flew over the
spot fire that he had picked out for us. We were to land at the spot fire and put a line around
it. Once we had the spot fire wrapped up I would call him on the radio and he would come
back and flip us over to the main fire to start a new hose line. Between the spot fire and the
main fire was the swamp (the same one in the picture).

We got to work on the spot fire and had it wrapped up in short order. I think we used one or
two bags of hose on it, but not much. As we laid out our hose we could hear the radio traffic
increasing, pretty typical for a large fire with multiple crews, air attack and values threatened.
Garry was obviously very busy coordinating all of these resources.

As we wrapped up the spot fire I gave Garry a call on the radio to let him know we would be
ready for pick-up in 10-15 minutes. As I mentioned there was a lot going on and Gary told me
he would come and get us as soon as he took care of some higher priority items. The game
plan was still the same; Gary would pick us up and flip us over to the main fire to start laying
in a hose line. We just had to sit tight and wait for him, it wouldn’t be long. Well, time ticked
along as we waited by our helipad. What to do? I didn’t want to sit around and just wait all
day. The swamp was maybe only 500-1000 feet across, but how deep? I had the crew recheck
our spot fire as I thought through my options, at least that would keep everyone busy. No
smokes there, it was dead out. More time went by and the helicopter wasn’t coming and the
swamp was looking narrower by the minute. We could hear on the radio that the other Red
Lake crews were very busy putting in their hose lines, dealing with spot fires and air attack.
So I told the crew my plan and my challenge to them. From everything I’d heard on the radio
Gary wasn’t coming anytime soon. The swamp didn’t look deep and it wasn’t that wide. I
figured we could move all of our gear across and have our hose line laid out before Gary
showed up. It took a bit of convincing, but I think I won them over to the idea by taking the
lead with the heaviest and most awkward item. I told them that if I could get across with the
camp bag they could do the same with the lighter stuff. We would work as a team and get
everything moved over in short order.

Everyone bought into the plan and we got to work. I led the way with the camp bag. As I got
out to the mid point in the swamp I had a great idea, we needed to make this fun and
memorable. This was going to be very hard work and I needed everyone to stay committed to
the plan. Why not take a picture or two of everyone slogging it out across the swamp with the
gear? So I turned around and called to one of my crewmembers to take a picture. And the fun
part began. We started with the heavy items and worked our way down to the light stuff. It
took us probably 20-30 minutes to get all of our gear across that swamp. By the end we were
wet and dirty but very proud of our efforts. We took a quick break to get ourselves organized.
I knew from where we were we would need to head in two directions to tie in. To our left was
Mark Marlowe’s crew and to our right was Jeff Brown’s crew. We got our pump up and running
and started laying hose towards Mark’s crew. It didn’t take us long to tie. We got in a back
pass and still had some hose in the bags. We obviously needed to tie in with Jeff Brown’s
crew. As we started laying hose in Jeff’s direction Garry called me on the radio to say he was
coming to pick us up and flip us over to the main fire. I told Garry that we had made it across
the swamp and tied in with Mark. We were headed in Jeff’s direction and need more hose to
tie in. I think Garry was pretty happy that we had taken the initiative and gotten ourselves
across the swamp. As it was Jeff’s crew was busy in a budworm killed stand dealing with
numerous spot fires. Garry free dropped us a couple of bags of hose and directed us in to
Jeff’s location. We tied in with Jeff’s crew and started helping with the numerous flare ups.
The day went by in what seemed like seconds. It usually does on these big fires. Red #10’s
final size was 110ha. We ended up camping with Mark’s crew. There wasn’t a lot of green
space for us to camp in. All of our tents ended up side by side with the hose line running right
behind them. We were packed into a small area for about a week. But we made the most of it
and had fun.

As I look back at this fire I realize that we had a lot of fun as a crew and came together as a
team. We looked back on that fire with pride and I think that a lot of it had to do with crossing
the swamp on our own and helping our fellow Red Lake crews on the main fire.

As a new Crew Leader I learned a number of valuable lessons. You need to always be thinking
ahead, you know those “what if scenarios”. If the helicopter doesn’t arrive soon what do I
need to do to get the job done? Gary had already told me the plan, I just needed to take the
initiative and get across that swamp. You need to lead by example and inspire your crew. In
this case I needed to take the lead and make it across the swamp with the camp bag. I knew
that when the rest of the crew saw I could do it, then they would be inspired to follow me. You
need to make those tough jobs fun and memorable. If your crew is having fun accomplishing
a tough, dirty job it will be a memorable moment and they will definitely become a stronger
team. And in the end as a crew it’s a great feeling when you can help out your fellow crews tie
in a tough fire.

Well, that is the story behind the picture. I know as an organization we tell a lot of stories
about past fires to each other. Keep in mind the leadership lessons you are passing along in
those fire stories. People are listening and whether you realize it or not you are teaching.

Now it’s your turn, if you have a leadership story and you want to share it with the AFFM,
submit it to the FireLine Newsletter we’ll feature it in the Leadership section.

I hope everyone has a safe, fun and memorable summer. See you on the fireline.

By Pat Harvey Acting Special Projects Supervisor, Kenora Fire Management

Headquarters

Studying AFFM’s Carbon Footprint

As concern about climate change grows, organizations and people need to be aware of their
“carbon footprint” – the greenhouse gas emissions their activities create that contribute to the
issue of global warming. As a large, operational program, AFFM’s activities can have a
significant carbon footprint and we need to be conscious of the impact of our actions on the
environment.

Our business related activities create greenhouse gas emissions from typical sources:
• Building heating, cooling and electricity consumption (where that electricity is generated by
fossil fuel sources like coal, or natural gas)
• Transportation – road and rail travel and commercial air transportation

Additionally though, AFFM generates significant emissions from aviation and fire management
operations: aircraft operations, and fire suppression activities that include the use of off-road
vehicles, boats, power pumps, and chainsaws.

Global warming is resulting from the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere – gases
that trap heat that would normally radiate from the earth back into space, and instead cause
that heat to stay in the atmosphere and increase earth’s near-surface temperature.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most well-known greenhouse gas, but other compounds also trap
heat in the atmosphere in the same manner – including water vapour, methane, nitrous oxide
and some families of gases containing fluorine. While most of these gases have natural
sources and have always been present in the atmosphere, human activity – primarily through
the combustion of fossil fuels - is resulting in greater emissions of these gases, and
exacerbating the problem of global warming.

By taking action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, individuals and organizations can
help mitigate the causes of global warming and slow the increase in global atmospheric
temperatures. This can be achieved by:
• Reducing our activities that produce greenhouse gases
• Using equipment with higher fuel efficiency and/or lower greenhouse gas emissions
• Using alternative fuels or energy sources that have reduced or no greenhouse gas emissions.

In the summers of 2007 and 2008, a number of summer students under the leadership of
Mark Crofts of the Planning and Information Unit in Sault Ste. Marie, documented AFFM’s
emission-causing activities and estimated the program’s greenhouse gas emissions from five
major sources:
• Aircraft (fixed wing and helicopters)
• Small engines (primarily power pumps and chainsaws)
• Automobiles
• Buildings (electricity, heating fuel, and generators at “off-grid” bases)
• Staff travel

The project determined that in 2007 AFFM’s operations released approximately 128,391 metric
tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, including:
• 111,688 tonnes from fixed-wing aircraft operations
• 10,759 tonnes from helicopter operations
• 3,792 tonnes from automobiles
• 1,456 tonnes from building electricity (other fuel sources could not be determined at this
time)
• 696 tonnes from small engines

By comparison, the average passenger vehicle driving 20,000 km annually would emit
greenhouse gases equivalent to 5.5 metric tonnes of CO2. So, AFFM’s operations emitted
greenhouse gases equivalent to the annual emissions of over 23,000 passenger cars.

The project recommended a number of steps that the AFFM program can take in an effort to
reduce its carbon footprint:
• Use the most fuel efficient/low-emissions aircraft that are suitable for the mission purpose
• Reduce aircraft flying time by planning more efficient aircraft use
• Acquire more fuel efficient vehicles appropriate for the required task
• Seek out/evaluate more fuel efficient/low emissions small engine equipment – e.g..,
evaluate opportunities to use 4-stroke vs 2-stroke engines
• Use communications technologies to reduce business travel
• Continue evaluation of other low-emissions technologies – e.g., use of electric vehicles in
warehouses; use of solar power at forward attack bases.

By Paul Ward, Climate Change Co-ordinator

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