Fire commissioner lauds work of front-line disaster-response team

Winnipeg Free Press

05-06-2025

As thousands fled wildfires raging in northern Manitoba, members of a specialized disaster response team flew toward the flames.
The Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team, also known as Canadian Task Force Four, are some of the many heroes critical to the provincial wildfire response. They proved their worth last week, while co-ordinating the evacuation of Mathias Colomb First Nation (Pukatawagan), said Manitoba Fire Commissioner Ryan Schenk.
'These are the folks that are on the front lines, working behind the scenes. They are leaving their families, they are leaving their loved ones to make sure people have a home to return to,' Schenk said from The Pas Thursday afternoon.
PROVINCE OF MANITOBA
Several members of the Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team flew to Pukatawagan to assist with the mandatory evacuation.
The Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team heads out to Pukatawagan
'They are answering the call.'
The task force includes more than 100 members, including engineers, physicians, paramedics and specialists in incident management, logistics, and search and rescue. Manitoba's team is one of six others across Canada and is overseen by the Office of the Fire Commissioner, Schenk said.
'The spirit and intent of these task forces are to essentially be the last line of defence before we are deploying Canadian Armed Forces. These are boots-on-the-ground folks that are decisively engaged in operations and supporting the evacuations,' he said.
Buffeted by high winds, heat and thick smoke, several members flew into the remote First Nation after it was placed under mandatory evacuation orders on May 28. Flames had already damaged electrical infrastructure, cutting off power to the community and limiting communications.
Their job was to co-ordinate the evacuations of about 2,500 people via an assortment of military planes and helicopters, Schenk said.
'Our folks were leading the landing-zone operations. They had deployed equipment that allowed them to communicate between the aircraft, as well as co-ordinate evacuees,' he said.
'Our team showed great leadership in working alongside the community.'
The evacuation of Mathias Colomb has since been completed, the provincial government said in a release. On Tuesday, Chief Gordie Bear said about 50 essential workers, including firefighters, were still in the First Nation.
In an update Wednesday, the province said the nearby fire measured 9,785 hectares and was still considered out of control. The mandatory evacuation order remains in effect.
Earlier this week, First Nations leaders called on the federal and provincial governments to send more equipment and resources to their communities.
PROVINCE OF MANITOBA
The Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team heads to Pukatawagan on May 30.
Schenk said an emergency operations centre has been set up in Mathias Colomb, and a fire chief has taken the lead.
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'(The Office of the Fire Commissioner) will work alongside them to make sure that their needs are being met, resources and infrastructure are being brought in,' he said.
'The one thing I can't do is thank the communities enough for their support. We wouldn't be able to do this without them…. Their leadership contributes to the success, whether its the local-level knowledge or the access to certain limited resources.'
Task force members have also been assisting wildfire responses elsewhere in the province. Some are on the ground supporting incident management in Flin Flon and in eastern Manitoba, Schenk said.
Part of their role included establishing a 'tent city' near fire lines in Lac du Bonnet, providing accommodations that keep firefighters at the front, he said.
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Tyler SearleReporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.
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