Fernando

https://www.vsb.bc.ca/schools/sir-winston-churchill/pages/default.aspx

Fernando: So you wanna say what you said before?

Corbett: I was a BC forest fire fire for 4 years I did this prior, before becoming a teacher I was part of a IA ( Initial attack crew) we specialize in getting rid of fires quickly, we would usually fly to our destinations in packs of 3.

Akash: Was this something like a last minute decision are was it like a job you always hoped of getting?

Corbett: This was my ideal job that I wanted for once I finished high school, because I didn’t want to go to University well cause it’s quite expensive obviously. So I just looked into the best seasonal jobs there are available. And wild firefighting came up as an option, I also have friends that were in the field so I knew quite a bit about it through them, but it’s great because it’s a seasonal job I would only work for four months.

Fernando: Were you like deployed somewhere?

Corbett: Well it’s based on one thing, I was deployed in Williams lake, which is where I grew up as well, so I was kinda lucky, but you can be deployed anywhere, Vancouver, Kamloops are wherever you’re needed

Akash: You said it was something you and your friend’s did together right?

Corbett: Yeah two of my friends started a couple years before I’d started

Fernando: So you knew a group of people like before hand?

Corbett: Yeah, but I didn’t like really click with them, but yeah you could be put out anywhere in the world.

Fernando: Oh, so you could be put like anywhere in the world?

Corbett: Yeah, like once you finish basic training, the government asks you where you would like to go, and you know you get to put down like your places you would like to go, but ultimately it’s the governments say on where you get to go.

Akash: When did you begin and when did you end?

Corbett: So I began in summer of 2014, 2014 was my first season and I finished in the fall of 2018?

Akash: Oh so it’s only like a summer thing?

Corbette: Oh, well you can be deployed all year long, but there is a bunch seasonal employees. Our position is for people that are only going to work 4-6 months, and thats perfect for like my because I was in University.

Akash; Did you have the same crew every same year or not?

Corbett: Well turnover is the amount of people that actually come back, because it’s such an extreme job, it’s usually younger people because you also have to be fairly fit to qualify.

Fernando: So if there were to be an earthquake would you be deployed?

Corbett: So yeah as a government resource, we would kinda just do their bidding, because fire is out specialty.which is the disaster relief we respond to most, in my career I’ve only been deployed to a flood, but if there were a earthquake i’m sure we would have been deployed for that as well.

Akash: In the recent years the only natural disasters we’ve gotten were just forest fires, what are your thoughts on emergency services combating other natural disasters the main one being earthquakes

Corbett: Like i feel it’s a hard thing to predict, but if it’s anything similar to what I’ve experienced, as like a first responder to like natural disasters. It’s not really something you can like prep for, especially if you don’t have any experience, the only way you can get good at knowing how a natural disaster is going to play out, it by you know actually going out and seeing them in person and seeing how it plays out, so we don’t have that luxury with earthquakes, like I’ve never seen one my self, I don;t really know how much people really need to know.