Penticton wildfire base getting $2.5M upgrade
As flames spread over Christie Mountain last summer within view of the under-sized Penticton Fire Zone headquarters on Airport Road, an incident command team from the BC Wildfire Service had to find its own space in a city-owned fire hall.
But if a similar incident arises this summer, there will be plenty of space available at the Penticton Fire Zone office, which is in the midst of a $2.5-million upgrade.
“With this new expansion, we’ll be able to have the management team located here. That’s the best place for them,” said Rob Osiowy, wildfire officer for the Penticton Fire Zone, in an interview this week.
The project includes a new warehouse and four modular buildings on the east side of Airport Road just off the tarmac, plus another four modular buildings on the grounds of the existing headquarters on the west side of Airport Road.
The warehouse, which will replace the shipping containers currently serving that function, will allow crews to park trucks and other gear inside so it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice by road or air.
The modular buildings will provide more office and training space, plus showers and changing facilities, along with a proper incident command post.
“It’ll just make things more efficient,” said Osiowy.
The office — which operates separately from the air tanker base approximately one kilometre north on Airport Road — houses a permanent staff of four, which balloons to approximately 30 during fire season.
Osiowy said the upgrades have been in the works for several years, but were delayed by budget constraints and the pandemic. He’s unsure, though, if the extra space will result in extra staff.
As of Tuesday, the fire danger rating was pegged at high in the Penticton area by the BC Wildfire Service, which has been kept busy as a result.
“It’s not been too unusual, but we have had a fairly steady stream of fires,” said Osiowy.
“Hopefully, we get a bit of moisture this week to start greening things up and taking the edge off.”