2 new firefighting aircraft join fleet as B.C. gears up for intense wildfire season

Greg Adams anticipates a long and busy wildfire season in British Columbia this year, so it's timely that two new firefighting planes have just come into service.

Adams has dedicated a decade of his life as an air attack officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), responsible for devising aerial firefighting strategies.

Air tankers are fixed-wing aircraft that have been repurposed from retired commercial airliners to help douse wildfires.

Earlier this month, the BCWS welcomed two Dash 8-400AT airtankers to the provincial airtanker centre at Penticton Regional Airport, and they've already been deployed across the Okanagan region and beyond.

The two new airtankers are equipped with a 10,000-litre tank, a good deal larger than the 8,000-litre tank on the Conair Convair airtankers that were retired last September.

They have already completed firefighting missions near Peachland and Harrison Lake, Adams said, after wildfire season got off to an early, more active start.

"We've only been on for just a little over a week, and we've flown six or seven missions, maybe eight or nine missions," he said.

20 firefighting air tankers across B.C.

The BCWS operates a provincial air tanker centre in Kamloops, which directs deployment of firefighting aircraft from 14 air tanker bases throughout the province.

In total, the service operates a fleet of eight "bird dogs" — planes that lead air tankers in the attack on wildfires — and 19 air tankers, including water-skimmers, so named due to their ability to refill their tanks from bodies of water while in flight. The service also employs helicopters.

Air response allows fires to be tackled promptly and offers important support to ground crews, Adams said.

"We can get to the fires quickly and attack them when they're small," he said. "Once the fires get big, we'll support the ground crews as best as we can on objectives that hopefully end up being successful."

Shawn Byrne, a bird dog pilot based at the Penticton airtanker centre, says BCWS operations prioritize safety and effectiveness.

Byrne, who's been working as a bird dog pilot for five years, says the work can be challenging and acknowledges the significant impact wildfires can have on mental health — for those affected by the fires and those who fight them. 

But he remains passionate about his job.

"I love flying," he said. "I believe in looking after people and I enjoy helping others."