On the front lines of a wildfire, you don’t necessarily expect to see smiling faces.
But on July 20, as a fire crew from British Columbia walked the perimeter of the Excelsior Wildfire, searching for hidden hot spots to extinguish, there was plenty of good spirit to go around.
Hauling chainsaws, axes and shovels, the men and women conducted their backbreaking work with soot on their faces and sweat dripping off their bodies, all while cracking jokes.
They likely wouldn’t be so jovial in the face of raging flames, but that morning the fire was deemed under control, lightening the mood.
Of course, the smiles could also have to do with the the fact that the media showed up with its cameras flashing. But, it didn’t seem that way.
The crew seemed happy to be at work, extinguishing a fire that has been the talk of the town for the past two weeks.
And, as happy as they were to be on the front lines, it’s safe to say Jasperites were happy to have them.
Words of thanks have littered Facebook photos and feeds over the past two weeks, and the pay-it-forward wall at SnowDome Coffee Bar has had about a dozen Post-It Notes with free coffees going to firefighters who visit the shop for a caffeine fix.
For most of us, the idea of rushing toward an out of control fire is terrifying. It’s not a job we’d gladly choose or one that we’d throw ourselves into head first.
It takes a special person to do this work and since July 9 Jasper has seen upwards of 80 of those special folks pass through the gates to protect our town and park.
We said it last week, but it’s worth saying again, thank you.
Because of the hard work of first responders, Jasper has a good news story. Not only were there no injuries or facilities lost, an area of the park that hasn’t seen fire in decades has burned, allowing for 1,000 hectares of rejuvenated forests.
And to top it all off, the Medicine Lake eagle’s nest was saved, along with the eaglet inside it, and word is a member of the Maligne caribou herd was seen walking with a calf, far from the fire’s edge.
It’s good news all around.
