Five Year Journey of an Ontario FireRanger

By my fourth year as an Ontario FireRanger, I was completely used to my home away from home.  On a large project fire, base camp can be home for up to 19 days. 

Figure 10.  Home away from home.  A prospector tent set up at base camp.

Most often this means sharing a prospector tent with your crew that you’ve either grown to love or to hate.  Hopefully their sleeping habits don’t involve loud snoring, talking, or in extreme cases -- sleepwalking!  In one province we were provided with little wood stoves to dry out our damp or drenched clothes while at home, propane tent heaters do the trick. 

 

The prospector tent is often the preferred shelter by many crews, especially on longer fires. However, sometimes the short length (i.e. days) and the terrain (i.e. black spruce swamp) make the single person lightweight tents the only option. As an Ontario FireRanger, in my two part personal bag, I carry my tent, thermarest, sleeping bag and enough

Figure 13.  Cooking on the fire line.  Frilly apron available on special request!

clothes to last me 19 days on the fire line.  Socks are especially important, as your

Figure 12. A FireRanger calling home to say hello.

feet are put through misery carrying your weight all day along with alternating between wet and dry as you work the fire.

 

Keeping in contact with friends and family while on the fire line isn’t always easy. Many firefighters find being away for the summer hard on relationships, while others call it a much-needed break!  However, with today’s modern technology, home is often just a phone call away!

 

Ontario Fire Crews are a provincial resource and can be sent to lend support to any fire district in the province depending on the fire situation. Often during a busy fire season fire crews from the East Fire Region travel to the West Fire Region (and vice versa) for an entire 19-day tour. These tours give crews the opportunity to experience fire behaviour in different fuel types and terrain, as well as the opportunity to get to know other firefighters in the province.
 
Food is the clock that drives most firefighters, especially on very long and difficult (sustained attack or project) fires. Often the topic of conversation begins with what you’re going to have for lunch up the line. This is followed later in the day by an in-depth conversation over what’s for dinner, who’s going to cook it and how it’s going to be cooked. Finally after you’ve eaten your fill of dinner the topic of breakfast arises and should you have bacon and eggs or just cereal?

 

Cooking on the fire line isn’t everyone’s cup of tea! During an initial attack, the crew camp bag contains enough food for 24-hours. Supper usually consists of boiling water for freeze-dried Mountain House meals and the first night this is usually cooked in the dark while being swarmed by millions of mosquitoes and black flies. Some people are too tired after giving a 100% during the initial attack and opt for grabbing a couple of granola or chocolate bars or a can of oysters for dinner and crawling into their tents for cover and much needed sleep. 

 

Figure 11. Single person tents set up in the forest of Ontario. Note the clothes drying on a tree!

Once you have been on the fire line for a couple of days and know you’re going to be there for the duration of the fire - you get to order food kits! It’s like Christmas has come to the fire line watching everyone root through coolers and boxes to see what’s there. If you’re lucky, someone on your crew will cook you up steak and potatoes otherwise, meals might consist of hot dog and pudding eating contests. In any event, be prepared for spruce needles, charcoal and grit to add a little flavour to your meals as well as bush etiquette that will likely not impress your mother. For example, if someone cuts some cheese and then hands it to you, there will be perfect soot black fingerprints on it. Ideal for a criminal investigation, but even better to satisfy your hunger! Initially you may be appalled, but eventually you don’t see the dirt when dining a la fire line!         

 

• Five Year Journey of an Ontario FireRanger - Year 5