On August 9, the Coldwater Indian Band near Merritt, BC contacted Elite Emergency Management (EEM) as the Ainslee Creek Fire threatened their community.

 

The situation was critical. BC Wildfire Service resources were stretched, and Coldwater's own fire department was inactive following the passing of its Fire Chief the previous winter. The community needed additional emergency capacity — and they needed it immediately.

 

EEM responded.

 

Within hours, we began planning. The following morning, we deployed a dedicated response team consisting of a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Specialist, four Engine Bosses, and eight Firefighters.

 

We didn't wait for the fire to arrive. We went to work preparing for it.

 

Once on the ground, our team immediately began deploying the community's sprinkler protection equipment and developing defensive suppression strategies. Working directly with the Emergency Operations Centre, Cultural Advisors, and Community Leadership, we identified critical infrastructure and developed vegetation management strategies to create fuel breaks and defensible space around key assets.

 

Then came another major challenge: water.

 

The Coldwater River was already drastically low, and the community was rightly concerned that significant firefighting withdrawals could threaten fish spawning. Reliance on the community's hydrant system was also not a viable option due to its potential impact on the community's water supply.

 

So we built another solution.

 

EEM and the Coldwater Hydrologist developed a water-supply strategy using nearby lakes and the City of Merritt as sources, with water to be shuttled into a 10-tank, 400-barrel water farm. The objective was simple: establish a substantial firefighting water reserve before it was needed.

 

This is what emergency preparedness looks like when there is no room for delay.

 

The fire never reached the community. But that didn't mean the response was over.

 

The Coldwater Indian Band honoured our firefighters with a blanket ceremony and a community salmon BBQ. In a powerful show of appreciation and solidarity, everyone in attendance came forward to shake the hands of our firefighters.

 

For our team, that moment meant as much as the operational work itself. We weren't simply there to provide resources — we became part of a community standing together to protect its home.

 

Had the fire encroached on Coldwater, EEM was prepared to rapidly scale the operation with an additional 12 response units and 30 firefighters, providing significant surge capacity when it mattered most.

 

Prepared Before the Crisis. Ready When It Counts.

 

EEM exists to provide communities, organizations, and emergency agencies with the people, expertise, equipment, and operational capacity to respond when existing resources are stretched beyond their limits.

 

When the call comes, we mobilize. We assess. We build capability. And we get ready for the worst.