Burns Lake resident Brock Worthing, who’s part of the Burns Lake unit of the B.C. Wildfire Service, has recently returned from deployment near Williams Lake and stopped by Lakes District News to share his experience on the front line.
During his first year working as a firefighter, Worthing has encountered a provincial state of emergency with over 43,000 people having to flee their homes. To him, working on the front line feels personal.
“I have friends in Williams Lake,” he said. “[When you’re out there] you’re protecting your province and areas that you grew up close to.”
He said it’s a unique experience to work during a state of emergency.
“People’s lives depend on you,” he said. “Even when people are evacuated, their homes and belongings are still there.”
Although this wasn’t particularly surprising to him, he says the work has been physically demanding. With the busy fire season, firefighters have been working 14 days in a row, followed by three days off. The long hour shifts often last 12 hours, and one of his shifts even lasted 19 hours.
“Physically it’s what I imagined, it’s hard, and mentally it can be draining… working long hours, weeks at a time.”
He said his relationship with his co-workers has helped him navigate through the challenging times.
“The people in the group are some of my closest friends now… people I just met this summer.”
Although working on the front line can be physically and mentally demanding, Worthing said he’s always felt safe.
“All the higher ups that we work with take care of us and they would never put us in a situation where it was unsafe to work.”
Firefighters battle smaller fires directly, but with bigger fires they use an “indirect attack” in which the control line is located some considerable distance away from the fire’s active edge.
“This way the fire will burn on our terms,” he said.
Surprisingly, Worthing said the most difficult part of the job has been the training.
“Coming from university and adjusting into a routine that you’re working hard every day was hard,” he said. “The hardest part was getting into that routine.”
Worthing will return to school in September in Prince George, where he studies business administration.
He initially decided to become a firefighter because he thought it would be a great summer job, but now he realizes that it is much more than that.
“It’s something where you can make a difference, make an impact helping people,” he said. “Just helping the province is the best part, and knowing that you’re supported.”
Worthing said the appreciation that he has felt from the public has been the most rewarding part of the job.
“Lots of times when we see people they say something nice like, ‘Thanks for your hard work.’ You can feel the appreciation that people have for you being there.”
