Firefighters back from Quebec duties
By Kathy McCarty
Seventeen firefighters — who departed June 15 from the Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle, along with eight others who’d made the trip from southern Maine — all destined to fight out-of-control forest fires burning in neighboring Quebec, returned safely to the Star City earlier this month.
SEVENTEEN FIREFIGHTERS departed from the Northern Maine Regional Airport on June 15, destined for Quebec, where they planned to join hundreds of other firefighters in an effort to put out wildfires that have destroyed several hundred acres of forested land in the province. Members of the latest crew included forest rangers and civilian firefighters. Pictured, front row, from left are: Steve Babin, Fort Kent; Ralph Bartman, no town specified; Jessie Murchie, Fort Fairfield; William Barnum, Patten; Forest Ranger Lance Martin, St. John Plantation, the group’s leader; Paul Roy, St. David; Matthew Perry, Presque Isle; and Alex Williams, Houlton. Second row: Mark Berube, Winterville Plantation; Patrick Sawyer, no town specified; John Gagnon, New Sweden (making his second trip); Michael Jalbert, Fort Fairfield; Jake Rogeski, Fort Fairfield; Tim McDermott, no town specified; Ryan Winslow, no town specified; Gregory Schools, Wilton; and Koby Botting, no town specified.
The latest group left just days after the first team returned from nearly two weeks of battling blazes that covered several hectares of forested land in the province or roughly 350,000 acres of forested land in the province of Quebec. Eight firefighters flew into the NMRA on June 12 — tired but otherwise uninjured.
According to an online article from The Gazette, a division of Canwest Publishing Inc., dated May 29, 55 blazes were burning across 65,000 hectares (one hectare equals 100 acres) of forest in the province’s northern and central regions.
Despite recent rains, fires continue to burn out of control, threatening homes and businesses and forcing evacuations. Firefighters from throughout Canada and adjacent states have been working for about a month to extinguish multiple blazes, with limited success. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center posts pertinent fire data on their website www.ciffc.ca/index.php?option=com_frontpage&itemid=1.
The group who returned Saturday included six forest rangers and 15 civilian firefighters who’d fought fires in Quebec for two weeks, having departed Maine on May 29 bound for Quebec.
“A chartered plane brought the 21-person crew back to the Bangor International Airport, then arrived at the Northern Maine Regional Airport later that day. Eleven firefighters were scheduled to arrive in Bangor, then immediately go by bus to the Maine Forest Service Central Region headquarters in Old Town,” said Kent Nelson, MFS fire prevention specialist.
“On May 29, six forest rangers were mobilized to assist with fire suppression on the 50,000 acre fire in northeastern Quebec. The crew was requested by Quebec as part of an agreement with the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact,” said Nelson.
Nelson said Mike Daigle, based out of Fort Kent, served as that group’s crew boss and was responsible for the five rangers and 15 civilian wildland firefighters.
“All the crews were pulled off the fire for safety reasons on May 30, due to the extreme fire behavior. For the next few days, they set up pumps, dug fireline and protected a small community which had been evacuated,” said Nelson. “Towards the end of the week, they relocated into a remote area with rugged terrain and continued initial attack and then mop-up on the fire.”
Forest rangers and civilian firefighters departing from Presque Isle on June 15 included: Forest Ranger Lance Martin, St. John Plantation, the group’s leader; Steve Babin, Fort Kent; Ralph Bartman, no town specified; Jessie Murchie, Fort Fairfield; William Barnum, Patten; Paul Roy, St. David; Matthew Perry, Presque Isle; Alex Williams, Houlton; Mark Berube, Winterville Plantation; Sawyer, no town specified; John Gagnon, New Sweden (making his second trip); Michael Jalbert, Fort Fairfield; Jake Rogeski, Fort Fairfield; Tim McDermott, no town specified; Ryan Winslow, no town specified; Gregory Schools, Wilton; and Koby Botting, no town specified. This crew is expected to be in Quebec for about two weeks.
According to a recent article in the Portland Press Herald, smoke from forest fires in northern Quebec will continue to cause a buildup of air pollution in northern New England, creating hazy conditions and prompting health warnings. Hazy skies were noted throughout Aroostook County over the past week, as smoke from Quebec made its way into northern Maine. Officials advise anyone with health concerns to consult with their primary health provider on what, if any, impact the smoke may have on them and how best to deal with it.
