Inside B.C.’s wildfire boot camp, where recruits train for the front lines

Andrew Johnson has more on the intense boot camp in Merrit, B.C., to train and prepare Canadian firefighters ahead of this summer’s wildfire season.

MERRITT, B.C. – More than 200 new wildfire recruits are being pushed to their physical and mental limits at the BC Wildfire Service’s annual boot camp in Merritt, preparing for what officials warn could be another intense fire season.

At the Provincial Wildfire Training Centre, recruits spend nearly a week learning the basics of wildland firefighting, from laying hose and digging fire breaks, to operating pumps and enduring gruelling fitness tests modelled after real-world frontline conditions.

Gruelling preparation for front lines

For 20-year-old Layla Silliphantchalabi of Kimberley, B.C., boot camp has lived up to its reputation.

“I’ve never worked so hard for anything in my life,” she said during training. “A lot of it is just positive self-talk and convincing yourself that you can keep going, even when you feel like your body is going to give out.”

Silliphantchalabi’s hands are both bandaged and bloodied, due to callouses tearing open after the morning’s first test of endurance – hauling heavy gear hundreds of metres up a steep hill. Recruits were loaded down with up to 150 pounds (68 kilograms) of hoses, pumps and gas cans, as nearby speakers blasted Guns N’ Roses and Metallica.

Some of the young men and women were overcome with exhaustion halfway up, others yelled support to one another, some just yelled at themselves.

“F------ PUSH!” roared one.

Instructors say the physical demands are essential preparation for the realities of wildfire response, where shifts can stretch for days with little rest.

“Sometimes that can be 24 hours a day,” said boot camp instructor Chandler. “Sometimes that’s a 10-hour day, and up to 14 days in a row.”

At the training centre, recruits are taught wildfire fundamentals, chainsaw operations, helicopter safety, fire weather analysis and wilderness survival. They must also pass the Wildland Firefighter Physical Assessment Type 1 fitness test that screens out those who can’t meet the job’s physical requirements.

Record interest in seasonal firefighting jobs

The BC Wildfire Service received a record 2,400 applications for seasonal firefighting jobs this year, competing for about 225 openings. Officials estimate 600 applicants were interviewed before the before top candidates were invited to one of four New Recruit Boot Camps.

Not everyone will make the cut.

“There are obviously some challenges that come throughout the week,” said Kyle Young, a manager of organizational development with the BC Wildfire Service. “Injuries happen, we have people that don’t show up or people that just decide that this is not what they thought it was going to be like and end up leaving.”

The high level of interest comes as British Columbia boosts staffing after years of increasingly destructive wildfire seasons.

The BC Wildfire Service says it will have 1,300 wildland firefighters in place this year, along with 600 permanent staff, 300 seasonal support staff and contracts for about 700 additional suppression personnel. Another 125 local fire departments have pre-registered crews and equipment to help out during major emergencies.

The province has also expanded recruitment efforts, including specialized First Nations boot camps in the Cariboo, Coastal and Kamloops fire centres.

Recruits hope to build careers protecting B.C.

For many of the recruits, the demanding training is the first step toward a long-term firefighting career. Silliphantchalabi said she was inspired by her father who has worked in wildfire for 20 years.

“He’s so stoked,” she said. “I’ve grown up listening to all his stories, and I wanted to get my feet in there and see it for myself.”

Another recruit, Max Bourgaize of Port Moody, said the chance to protect the province he loves drew him to the program.

“I’d love to make this my career,” he said. “I want to come back every single summer and eventually full time. That would be my dream.”

The Dream starts now for Bourgaize and the others. Successful recruits who complete boot camp are assigned to experienced fire crews across the province and can expect to work until the end of October, with possible extensions depending on wildfire conditions.