The Haywood-Farmer family has set up sprinklers at its ranch on Tunkwa Lake Road, close to the Durand Lake wildfire burning nearby (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

BC WILDFIRES

Ranchers, rural residents affected by local wildfires say they aren’t getting the help they need

Jul 6, 2021 | 5:28 PM

KAMLOOPS — Bob Haywood-Farmer and his family have set up sprinklers all around their property on Tunkwa Lake Road.

While the Durand Lake wildfire is a few kilometres away, they are still prepared.

“We’ve got our irrigation system set up to put sprinklers on the buildings and water the areas around the buildings,” said Haywood-Farmer. “Then we’ve got our water truck set up ready to go to work.”

The Durand Lake wildfire is only 260 hectares in size and is a distance from ranches at the moment. However, with a shift in winds, it could be a different story.

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The family also has ranch land in Deadman Valley, which is being threatened by the Sparks Lake wildfire. Brother Mark Haywood-Farmer has been working most days to protect his property and some of the 1,200 cattle the family owns between the two properties.

“That’s probably our biggest concern right now are those cattle,” said Bob, who’s been running supplies out to Mark at his home in Deadman Valley. “That Sparks Lake fire is quite hot and moving towards the cattle, so the cattle are being moved down onto a range that we normally will use in the fall and winter.”

There are currently 43 firefighters battling the blaze there, while there are 205 firefighting personnel on the Sparks Lake wildfire, including 138 firefighters, 16 helicopters and 33 heavy equipment.

Area residents near the Sparks Lake fire say firefighters need to get on the fire earlier in the morning when the conditions are cool and the fire is more calm.

Meantime, the B.C. Cattlemen’s Assocation has been working with the BC Wildfire Service to ensure people can get their livestock out safely. The parties, as well as area ranchers, met on Monday.

“I think a little anxious, a little concerned about the speed things are working,” said President of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association Kevin Boon. “I’d like to give them reassurance that we’re working with the TNRD and the BC Wildfire Service to make this a smoother process for them, and I think we’re making some real headway there.”

The Haywood-Farmers say there are been too much red tape put in the way of homeowners and volunteers helping to fight the fires, especially at Sparks Lake.

“We cannot have four days of administrative delays where you have skilled, local equipment operators right at the sites, saying ‘I want in to try and help solve this problem,’ and then be inundated with days of bureaucracy and paperwork,” said Andrea Haywood-Farmer.

The Haywood-Farmers want the province and BC Wildfire Service to have a registration system in place in the spring, so when fires break out, people are ready and able to help.

With the help of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, which has been conversing with the BC Wildfire Service, ranchers and other residents wanting to help in the wildfire efforts can now fill out a form online to register equipment they would like to use on their property.