Xeni Gwet'in First Nation is building capacity in a remote part of the Chilcotin Plateau as the wildfire season gets underway.
The Tin Towh crew is an experienced forestry crew with Xeni Gwet'in, a community a three hour drive south-west of Williams Lake.
Along with a lot of work doing fuel management, the crew is also continuing to build their skills as firefighters.
Alexis Stowards is the crew coordinator, working both in the field and in the office, and Steve Quilt is the crew supervisor, overseeing field work. Based in the remote Nemaiah Valley, Tin Towh, which loosely translates to "in the woods" in Tsilhqot'in, the crew was well-positioned to respond to a fire reported on April 21. The fire was approximately three hectares and was located in an area about 20 km west of the Xeni Gwet'in community.
Stowards said the incident commander arrived on site at 9 p.m. on April 21 and the crew was then setting to work by 7 a.m. the next morning, providing an initial attack response. The crew was able to start getting establishing a hose lay to get water to the fire and worked on creating a fuel-free fire break as BC Wildfire Service crews were also mobilized.
The Ravens Unit Crew, based in Alexis Creek, which is about two hours away from the Nemaiah Valley, also arrived to help the Tin Towh crew.
"I can't say enough about how supportive they were," said Stowards.
Stowards said the Tin Towh crew has been "all fire all April" and they lead a prescribed burn earlier in April, which helped the crew "dust off the cobwebs."
Tin Towh is comprised of two four-person crews plus the crew supervisor.
During the burn earlier in the month, firefighters were able to work on applying fire on the land, and Stowards said cross-nation collaboration with Yuneset'in and Esk'et has been key for the crew.
"It really primed us for this fire to be able to respond quickly with gear that had already been tested," said Stowards, after their burn in April.
She said the crew is ready to attend to fires in the valley where needed but also hopes to do more work with cultural burning and prescribed fire.
"Where the magic really happens is when our crew works with other nations," she said.
