Knutsford Initial Response Team gearing up for another season of volunteer wildfire suppression

“Although we are not technically the first responders, we are often there before (BC) Wildfire. When they arrive, we hand it over to them. It’s just like any other fire department or agency, right?” says Bethell.

In July of 2021, a series of suspected arson fires in Knutsford also sparked the idea to get the 100-level fire suppression training.

“You do it to help the community, and it helps if you really enjoy it, which I do,” he adds, noting it’s a healthy balance of adrenaline, volunteering and using course education to stay safe.

This year, the community-based team will draw on 15 members. They’re all volunteering their time — and trucks — to make it happen.

Lea Thorson says she became particularly interested in getting educated in basic wildland fire response and helping out when a 2023 wildfire came concerningly close to her property.

“I’m not going to go out and be at the fire’s edge — I’m getting too old for that. But I’m the pump operator, is what they’ve said to me, so I’m learning about the pumps. I get them started and I get things rolling to get water to the younger guys who are out there,” explains Thorson. “For me, it helps keep me feeling young and I can still be a valuable asset to what’s going on.”

The group operates under the Knutsford Community Response Society, which is a registered charitable organization and pays for equipment and training using a combination and grants and donations.

“The equipment in there, we’ve purchased ourselves initially and then through donations from the community and sponsorship through various businesses, we’ve been able to acquire more equipment — and more of the expensive equipment — which is more pumps and hoses,” explains crew chief Terry Jessup. “We even were able to purchase a bladder this year, so that’s going to help us out a whole lot.”

Jessup says it’s all done out of a desire to help protect the residents, animals and properties throughout Knutsford.

“That’s where the heart of it comes from,” notes Jessup. “These guys are great. I take a look at them and it’s their energy and whatnot that keeps me going. Our directors on the board, they’re totally supportive of us and the community. The support that we receive from the community is stellar so we’re having a lot of fun.”

Smaller flareups were addressed by the crew in 2024, but the team’s most notable work came during the Ross Moore Lake wildfire in 2023.

“We were out there right from the beginning,” explains Jessup. “It was about seven weeks long where we were out there pretty much every day. Ourselves, team members and community members all working together to do what we could to keep the fire away from a lot of the properties around here.”

As far as the relationship with BC Wildfire, the Knutsford crew says that Ross Moore Lake fire made it less combative and more collaborative.

“Over time, we ended up running certain parts of that fire anyways. We were given a lot of responsibility and there was a lot of trust that was grown between both sides,” explains Bethell. “I think we’ve got a great relationship and I would like other communities to be able to experience that as well.”

“Our mantra is, when the red shirts show up, it is their show,” notes Jessup.

This summer, the plan is to keep blending firefighting education with local area knowledge to be ready for whatever comes their way.

“I think this is what we need to do. BC needs to do this. We need to have the community helping. And the more we do that, the more we’ll be able to catch things when they’re small and be there to help out with wildfire wherever we can,” adds Thorson.

by Dylana Kneeshaw

Knutsford Initial Response Team gearing up for another season of volunteer wildfire suppression

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