CIFAC Williams Lake – Cariboo Fire Centre

Location

Williams Lake

Year established

1976

Current Photo

Crew History

Williams Lake Initial Attack (formerly CIFAC) is proud to work alongside the Secwepemc, T’exelcemc, Xat’súll, and Tsilhqot’in First Nations on their traditional territory.

CIFAC stands for Cariboo Initial Fire Attack Crew, though it originally stood for Central Interior Fire Attack Crew. Based out of the Cariboo Fire Centre, CIFAC was once responsible for wildfire response across the entire Cariboo-Chilcotin region. In an effort to decentralize operations, Quesnel established its own base in 2021, and 100 Mile House followed suit soon after. Williams Lake Initial Attack, Quesnel Initial Attack, and 100 Mile Initial Attack now operate as distinct units, though still tied by the legacy of CIFAC. For the sake of this history, we’ll continue to refer to the program as CIFAC.

Williams Lake Initial Attack remains the largest initial attack (IA) base in the province, having supported up to 15 crews and 57 staff at its peak. Today, the crew includes two crew supervisors, two successional crew leaders and 10 crews.

CIFAC was founded in 1976—19 years before the BC Wildfire Service existed. Its story is deeply tied to the region’s fire-prone landscape. Crews have tackled everything from wind-driven grass fires racing across the Chilcotin plateau, lightning busts in Horsefly’s cedar-filled wet belt and fast-moving interface fires threatening communities and ranches.

CIFAC has continually adapted to new challenges. In the early ’70s, each zone in the Cariboo had its own district crew. Jim Haley helped form the North Initial Fire Attack Crew (NIFAC) in Prince George, and CIFAC followed soon after in the Cariboo. Originally stationed in Risky Creek from 1976 to 1987, the crews experienced high turnover due to a hiring preference for forestry students. Retention improved when crews were based in Williams Lake and Puntzi.

In the 1980s, CIFAC members Jack Miles and Richard Bloomfield, alongside Neil Campbell from NIFAC, established the provincial chainsaw program, which formalized training and safety procedures. This improved wildfire response safety and ensured essential knowledge was passed down to future crew members.

Back then, saw guards, hand lines and mop-up were the name of the game. Helicopter bucket drops were rare, and tankers even rarer. Safety standards? Virtually nonexistent. Firefighters worked as long as the fire was burning. Their meals, dropped in by floatplane, were described as bland and uninspiring, with one notable exception: canned bacon.

Richard Bloomfield remembers, “Back then, a 1,000-hectare fire was considered big. When I started, you could run from any fire—until 1985, when we realized you couldn’t always run.” Bob Mitchell added, “We had a lot of confidence and a lot of stupidity.” Fire safety culture was looser then, evolving slowly as fire behaviour and fuels changed. By the early ’90s, as wildfires intensified, planned ignitions became more accepted—though it took another decade to really learn how to use them effectively.

In the ’80s, aviation manager Tom Gayowski was a pioneer in enforcing weight limits for IA crews. Helicopters had tight weight restrictions, and hover exits were common during lightning busts in the Cariboo Mountains. By the ’90s, more logging roads improved access, enabling more ground-based suppression.

Crews originally worked in three-packs. In the mid-’90s, weight limits on some helicopters temporarily reduced crews to two members. By 1995, CIFAC had 15 two-person crews, having absorbed district firefighters who previously handled road-accessible fires, while CIFAC focused almost entirely on heli-access incidents. Each crew would handle around 20–25 heli-attack fires per season.

Both Bloomfield and Mitchell speak highly of the skilled pilots they worked with. There was Tom Bugg, a Vietnam veteran unphased by low visibility; Tom Arduini, whose experience on the Tatla Lake suppression crew gave him unmatched local knowledge; and Al Pelche, who always landed right beside the fire. Mike King, owner of White Saddle Air Services, is another legend who is a fixture in the Chilcotin firefighting scene to this day. Former CIFAC crew leader Eric Kopetski said, “When you talk about fire in the Chilcotin, Mike King’s name always comes up. He taught most of us how to fight fires out west and has been a constant since the early ’90s. It’s been a privilege to work with someone so knowledgeable.”

Though most crew staff are based in Williams Lake, many CIFAC members and alumni fondly referred to the Puntzi Air Tanker base as their “home away from home.” For nearly five decades, Puntzi was more than a base—it was where crews trained, deployed, bonded and built fitness. At times, it even hosted permanently stationed crews. Off-shift memories include building the first sauna in 1988, beach volleyball, three-day softball tournaments and even surfing in the river.

In 2008, Puntzi hosted the final BCWS Wildfire Olympics. CIFAC crew supervisors played a big part in organizing it. Orin Cady still laughs about “Kevin Easthope’s herculean effort in the highly coveted tug-o-war event… Classic Kev.”

In 2021, Puntzi hosted BCWS’ first First Nations Wildland Firefighter Bootcamp, an ideal site that will continue to support Indigenous firefighter recruitment into 2025. It’s helped build stronger connections with communities and contract crews, while supporting a culturally relevant training space.

The Puntzi base’s charm lies not only in its picturesque foothills overlooking the “swamp” (a great swimming spot, according to some) and the Waddington Mountain Range, but in the people who made it function. Kathy (camp cook) and Les Friend (tanker loader) worked there for over 20 years. Les was once posted at the Chilanko lookout before loading tankers. In 2015, they lost their home to the very fire that threatened the area. Still, they kept working, loading planes and feeding crews. Their warmth made them more than staff, they were family.

After their retirement and Kathy’s battle with cancer, Denise Armstrong and Geordie Ferguson took over, keeping the spirit alive. Geordie, who also lost his home in 2015, kept tankers loaded during the fire. In an interview with Global News, he said, “I could not put myself first. I could not hold my head down and pout and cry. I had planes to load. I had more houses to save. I had a community depending on me to do my job, and I did it” (McElroy, J. 2015). As Geordie often says, “Send up a flare if you need anything, and I’ll come running. And we’ll go from there.” He might only show up with a Werther’s Candy or a Jolly Rancher, but he’ll show up.

In 1999, CIFAC hired its first juniors: Orin Cady, Riden Kika and Adam Phipps. Today, the Junior Program remains a vital recruitment tool, with former Juniors making up 20–50% of the crew each year. Major fires in 2003 and 2004 prompted a move from two-person to three-person crews. Former crew supervisor Phil Ranson said, “The two-man crew was operationally effective but raised safety concerns, especially for First Aid.”

The busy 2009–2010 seasons emphasized the need for better mentorship, resulting in the province’s first successional crew leader role, filled by CIFAC crew leader, George Warr.

In 2011, CIFAC launched its first Training Days to set consistent standards—a tradition continuing in 2025 with a strong emphasis on learning and preparing for the season. The record-breaking fire seasons of 2017 and 2018, which threatened Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Quesnel and numerous Chilcotin communities, put crews to the test.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, attention shifted to safety and ensuring crews stayed operational. These changes led to a staffing boost, making CIFAC the largest IA base in the province, supporting 57 personnel.

Decentralization began in 2021 with the launch of Quesnel’s IA base, and the introduction of the Quesnel Cariboo Initial Fire Attack Crew. In 2025, 100 Mile House followed suit. Crews expanded to four or five members.

In 2024, CIFAC deployed its first IA module to Fort Nelson—a long-discussed idea finally brought to life.

Now in 2025, with the program spanning three zones, the crews once collectively known as CIFAC have taken on new names: Williams Lake Initial Fire Attack, Quesnel Initial Fire Attack, and 100 Mile House Initial Fire Attack. The crews are poised to represent the Cariboo as CIFAC has done for 49 years. Despite the name change, CIFAC’s legacy endures through those who continue to fight fires, lead crews, improve safety and pass down their knowledge. Many staff at the Cariboo Fire Centre and BCWS have proudly worn a CIFAC patch on their reds at some point in their wildfire careers. Whether they’re the air attack officer in the Birddog, sitting in the ops seat, guiding rookies through their first fire season or changing the way we respond to wildfires, the pride of being a member of CIFAC endures. The names and faces change, but the work remains the same—built on grit, teamwork and the lessons learned from those who came before. The crews work hard to uphold the legacy of the giants that came before them.

Hit Hard, Hit Fast.