Huron-Perth Boomers Winter 2023-24

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LOCAL SPOTLIGHT by Elizabeth Bundy-Cooper A Bombardier CL415 waterbomber on the left, dwarfs an Air Commander Turbo 690. controllers when other planes are arriving to the scene. There are many planes circling around at the same time, but we rely on our communication skills to get the job done. Another thing that is very dangerous is a drone. So many people have them now and they like to film the waterbombers coming in over a fire. If I see a drone, I get out immediately. If we hit one, it could be catastrophic. It’s a big safety concern. EBC: That said, what brings you joy in this job? DK: I love flying, and I love teaching others. I train 15 to 20 new recruits a year for firefighting pilots. It is intense, exciting, and challenging. It is also very exciting when our team successfully puts out a fire. That’s our job of course, but some fires you just can’t put out. Either they are out of control, or of no risk to people, or there is no water nearby for the waterbombers to collect to safely attempt to put the fire out. Some fires won’t extinguish themselves until the snow comes. EBC: Is it a lonely job? DK: It’s hard to be away from home and family, yes. We work 23 days on and then get seven days off. I was never lonely as an actor working out of town because you are around people all the time. You have long days as a firefighting pilot – we work from noon to 7 p.m. or sunset looking for smoke. When it’s busy, it’s better. When I drive back to Sudbury from Stratford to work, I want to go, but I wish the job was here. EBC: Has your job been busier as we experience climate change? DK: There are definitely more fires. The fire season is cyclical, where you will have seasons that are long and some seasons there is nothing. For instance, 2021 was incredibly busy, yet in 2022 I only did one fire. This year was very busy in May and June and then it fell right off. In western Ontario it was busy right through the entire season. We can’t predict them, but after this summer across Canada, it was obvious that the forest fire season is getting longer and more intense, and fires are hotter. I 8 • HURONPERTHBOOMERS.COM
y Elizabeth Bundy-Cooper LOCAL SPOTLIGHT definitely have job security with climate change. EBC: Do you have any advice for future pilots? DK: It is a great time to be a pilot. If you are passionate about it, and have the time to do the training, there will be a job for you. Currently we have a hard time filling all the positions for firefighting pilots. EBC: What is your plan for the future? DK: I’ve always had a five-year plan, now it’s a three-year plan. My goal is to come back to acting – full circle if you will! Elizabeth is a freelance writer and a fundraiser for the United Way Perth Huron in Stratford. WINTER 2023/24 • 9
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Huron-Perth Boomers Winter 2023-24

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