Support teams crucial in battle against Saskatchewan wildfires

Take a stroll through the grounds of the Prince Albert Armoury and you will see Canadian soldiers preparing for the front lines of the forest fire battle in northern Saskatchewan.

But if you look closer, there is a group of dedicated group of soldiers ensuring those in the field have what they need to succeed.

Cooks, mechanics and technicians are all part of the Forward Logistics Group (FLG). It provides essentials such as fuel, water and rations to those fighting the fires.

"You can't fight a fire without water and try and fight a fire on an empty stomach," explained FLGTransport RepresentativeKenny Somerset. "It's almost an impossible task."

Members of the FLG are up early every morning loading trucks bound for La Ronge. Forklifts are used to place heavy pallets of supplies onto trucks while propane tanks are carefully strapped in for the journey.

"Everything gets forward so that the pointy end of the sword can do their job," Somerset said. "The only way they can do their job is having all the support from behind."

More than just supplies

If a piece of equipment breaks down on the front lines, mechanics and technical support are called upon to help fix the problem. Sometimes that means spending a few hours back at home base with a wrench in hand.

On Monday morning, a Coyote Armoured Vehicle, used for reconnaissance missions, had its suspension worked on.

Somerset noted the technical skills specialists bring is vital to the mission's success.

"If front-line soldiers have generators that break down, we're going to push up mechanics that are set for those specific generators to go up and fix them," he said.

Sgt. Somerset could not hide his excitement when discussing a piece of equipment that had recently arrived.

The shipment of respirators is welcome news for soldiers.

"They're important," Somerset said. "The soldiers that are up there are in billowing smoke. These are making it a whole lot easier to do their job, and we're getting them in daily."

As of Monday, provincial officials said the fire situation had stabilized, but that does not mean the work is done.

Somerset said the morale of troops is high and they are ready to stay in Saskatchewan until the fires are out.

"I'm here until the finish. Most of the troops I've talked to, everybody here is eager and willing," he said. "We're here until the command teams tell us we're finished."