Our Deepest Gratitude

This is concerning the feature article by Ty Barrett, Shuswap Deputy Fire Chief in the South Shuswap Scoop of October 2023.

We have been residents on Dillworth Rd. in Sorrento for 26 years so have experienced nearby wildfires over that time.  When the Notch Hill fire occurred, our Motor Home was nicknamed “fire escape”.  Like many of us, I have spent considerable time reviewing the root cause of this year’s fire along with the many reports of conduct (or misconduct depending on your perspective) in handling this emergency.

On a personal note, I simply want to express our deepest gratitude to Ty Barrett for his expertise, calm leadership, and bravery in taking control on August 30 by overriding the inadequate leadership of the BC Wildfire Service crew on site at the Egg Farm on Fredrickson Rd.  As Ty reported, the crew had inadequate equipment and was not even spraying water on the fire encroaching to within 20 feet of the first barn.  It was Ty who called in the resources and water required to drive the fire back at least 50 feet from the building.

It is my firm belief that our very own Deputy Fire Chief Ty Barrett and his team can be credited with saving all the structures on the south side of Sorrento by obtaining and applying the resources required to stop the beast in its tracks.

Phil Clark