fire base

The provincial government is committing $20 million to upgrade two Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry fire bases in northwestern Ontario.

The work will take place at bases located at Socket Lake, near Sioux Lookout, and Vedette Lake, north of Fort Frances.

Director of Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services Chris Cuthbertson says they are vital to wildland firefighting efforts.

“In order to effectively manage wildland fires, we mobilize and deploy our firefighters, aircraft maintenance engineers, pilots and support staff, and the necessary equipment to 32 strategically located bases across the north,” says Cuthbertson.

“These bases provide Ontario with the ability to move our resources to the front line efficiently and safely while providing critical operational supports, and in some cases, a comfortable place to rest for our personnel after a hard day’s work on the fire line.”

To ensure the bases meet the Ministry’s needs, the province will spend $12.3 million to redevelop the Vedette forward attack base and another $8.3 million to upgrade the Socket Lake base.

“These upgrades will enhance operations, provide improved staff accommodations, and help us deploy resources more effectively across the province,” says Mike Harris, Minister of Natural Resources

Construction is underway, with the bases ready for use ahead of next year’s wildland fire season.

The province is also eyeing improvements to its other bases.

The Ministry operates 14 fire management headquarters, three attack bases, 15 forward attack bases, two regional fire centres, a provincial fire centre, an emergency operations centre, three logistics centres, seven aircraft hangars and a flight training centre.