Kamloops, BC – August 13, 2024 – More than a dozen rural fire departments in the Thompson-Nicola region are now equipped with new fire skid units to support response to wildfires, thanks to a partnership between the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) and Canadian charity GlobalMedic.
Each fire skid contains a 1,000-litre holding tank, a pressurized pump, and a forestry fire hose. These fire skids are able to be mounted onto pickup trucks, allowing firefighters to access areas that may be inaccessible for larger firetrucks. The total value of each fire skid is approximately $6,000.
Between fall 2023 and summer 2024, GlobalMedic has donated fire skids to 16 rural fire departments within the boundaries of the Thompson-Nicola region. This includes all nine TNRD-operated fire departments located in Blackpool, Little Fort, Loon Lake, McLure, Monte Creek, Pritchard, South Green Lake, Tobiano, and Vavenby, as well as other fire departments and fire brigades located in 70 Mile, Adams Lake, Cache Creek, Chase, Chu Chua, Sun Peaks, and Upper Clearwater. The TNRD Fire Protection Services Department has facilitated these donations.
“We appreciate Rahul Singh and his team at GlobalMedic for donating these valuable fire skids free of charge to us through this truly exceptional program,” said Jason Tomlin, TNRD Fire Protection Services Manager. “These fire skids are important sets of equipment to help our local fire departments protect their communities from wildfire, and they have been put to use a number of times this year.”
“We are grateful to our friends at TNRD. They have let us use their base in Kamloops to act as a cross dock to receive and distribute skid units to fire departments around the region. They have helped us to identify fire departments that can use the units and helped us to distribute them,” said Rahul Singh, Founder and Executive Director of GlobalMedic. “By pulling together we can get more gear out to firefighters to help them get these fires out.”
Since late 2023, GlobalMedic has donated more than 140 fire skids to rural and volunteer fire departments in western Canada, helping to increase capacity to respond to wildfires. To learn more about this program, visit the GlobalMedic website by clicking here.
Media Contact:
Colton Davies, Communications Manager
Thompson-Nicola Regional District
Tel.: 250 377-6299
Email: cdavies@tnrd.ca