While not ready to leave, Jay Simpson said he and fellow North Shuswap citizens who continue fighting fires are tired and want help.

鈥淎t this point, we鈥檙e bagged, we鈥檝e been working 2o-hour days in more dangerous situations and so much smoke. I鈥檝e got nothing but so much respect for people who are out there stomping on fires,鈥� said Simpson, the Electoral Area F director with the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD).

Simpson and others continue to defy a CSRD evacuation order that鈥檚 been in place since Friday, Aug. 18, when what鈥檚 now referred to as the Bush Creek East wildfire spread into the communities of Lee Creek, Scotch Creek and Celista.

鈥淚鈥檓 the epitome of civil disobedience right now, because I did not follow the order to depart鈥� I stayed behind and fought the fires to save my home, my neighbours, my community鈥�,鈥� said Simpson, frustrated that authorities are preventing things like bottled water, food and fuel for generators from reaching citizens fighting fires in the evacuation order areas.

鈥淭here are fuel suppliers out there that would just love to stop in and help us, but they鈥檙e being piloted through so nobody gets off the road, nobody stops and drops off some fuel, nobody does anything. We can鈥檛 get a hot dog in here. We can鈥檛 get a bottle of water in here鈥� we鈥檙e just cut right off.鈥�

The CSRD continues to urge citizens to vacate the evacuation order areas, for their safety and the safety of firefighters.

鈥淭he message that I want to provide to the community is there are enough resources on this fire to actively engage whatever comes at them, and if there aren鈥檛 enough resources, we have resources waiting to go into the communities to deal with this,鈥� said Shuswap Emergency Program emergency operations director Derek Sutherland in an afternoon Aug. 22 update. 鈥淪o community members can feel safe and secure that there are firefighters to deal with any issues that arise on their property if and when they choose to evacuate.鈥�

With lingering hot spots, flare ups and more, Simpson agreed it鈥檚 not a safe situation to be working in.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a safe thing to be doing, but on the other hand we are saving our homes, our communities,鈥� he said, acknowledging help is needed.

Simpson said he took part in a meeting Tuesday (Aug. 22) between locals and BC Wildfire Service personnel, during which a collaborative approach was discussed.

鈥淭hey came out and sat down at our kitchen table, two of them, a couple of us, and they talked about how the backburn went and what they did and how we can work together, and we鈥檙e working towards that,鈥� said Simpson. 鈥淥ur contractors out here with big heavy machinery, we鈥檙e getting them registered with BC Wildfire so we can work in conjunction with them.

鈥淲e want this cooperation 鈥� it鈥檚 critical. We cannot do this ourselves. We cannot save our communities all by ourselves. We鈥檝e taken the first three days of utter chaos and done what we could to save as much as we could, but it鈥檚 a long game, it鈥檚 going to be months, two months 鈥� until the snow flies.鈥�

BC Wildfire Service information officer Forrest Tower said such collaborations are not uncommon, that there鈥檚 a successful one working the Rossmore Lake wildfire near Kamloops.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had community members from Knutsford that鈥檚 engaged on that fire since July,鈥� said Tower. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e folded into our operations, some of them have actually signed up with us as emergency firefighters, a large number of them have not, they鈥檙e still volunteer status. But we have a good organizational structure there, there鈥檚 clear lines of communication, there鈥檚 check-ins happening鈥� So it can work, we just really have to work towards some good operational oversight and at this point, the BC Wildfire Service provides that operational oversight.

鈥淔olding community members into that whenever possible will be a lot more efficient than everyone kind of running around doing their own thing, which is both unsafe and also not efficient. It just makes things take much longer.鈥�

Tower, acknowledging the good work being done in the North Shuswap, believes better communication is needed to ease tensions and remind people they鈥檙e working towards the same goals.

鈥淚 think there鈥檚 this sense that because there鈥檚 RCMP blockages and an evacuation order and supplies aren鈥檛 getting in, that government is working against people,鈥� said Tower. 鈥淩eally, all that has to happen is if there are individuals who do have those skills and wants to put them to use, and they鈥檙e willing to work in an organized manner under direction 鈥� usually by someone with the BC Wildfire Service, they just have to reach out.鈥�

Simpson said they were told by the BCWS that it needs locals 鈥� their expertise, equipment and knowledge of the area.

鈥淚 just had a guy from Magna Bay text me a photo of a fire that鈥檚 burning in a steep area 鈥� he gave me a pin of the location, told me there was nobody in the area, so I sent that off to BC Wildfire and they sent it off to their operations people,鈥� said Simpson. 鈥淪o locals on the ground being able to help BC Wildfire identify areas of concern and areas of large fires, flames鈥�

鈥淭hey were in and put about four hours in dual helicopters into the Lee Creek Gorge and I鈥檓 sure that will save a bunch of houses that are downstream of that area. So we love the collaboration, we鈥檇 love to have them here.鈥�

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