After hundreds of hours of training and significant investments in wildland firefighting equipment, the Burnaby Fire Department (BFD) has been sidelined this summer as forest fires rage out of control around the province.
'Uniquely positioned'
In years past, local firefighters have routinely been deployed to B.C.'s interior to fight wildfires.
Fire Chief Chris Bowcock has said in the past the department is "uniquely positioned" to help because, unlike many other municipal departments, BFD has the equipment and experience to be a self-sustaining operation when they hit the road.
"We have a resource package that we send with our people. It rolls with meals, sleeping arrangements and the ability to set up our own camp," Bowcock said in a 2021 City of Burnaby news release.
That same year — when Lytton was razed by a devastating wildfire — Burnaby firefighters were deployed in shifts all summer, usually tasked with keeping buildings near wildfires from burning down.
A grateful Spences Bridge rancher wrote the city to thank them for their work.
"The vacant land next to us and the mountain behind us were both on fire. Your crew helped keep our farm safe," stated the letter, according to the 2021 release.
"Not a single blade of grass was burned on our property! Thank you so, so much! … The work of the firefighters has been stellar."
Bowcock said Burnaby firefighters are often among the first to respond to calls for help with wildfires in the Interior.
"The province understands our capability to provide command officers, create structure and implement plans to deal with today’s issues while planning for the future," Bowcock said in the 2021 release.
Building wildland firefighting capacity
BFD has also invested significant resources to wildland firefighting and owns two trailers dedicated to the practice, as well as a wildland utility terrain vehicle (UTV).
In 2020, the department also spent $435,000 (most of its budget for regular turn-out gear) on boots, coveralls, helmets, backpacks, water bottles and gloves for wildland firefighting.
Bowcock called the move a one-year "program refocus" on wildland protective equipment to address the growing risk of wildfires in the city's parks and green spaces.
Between 2019 and 2022, the department also dedicated 2,160 person-hours to wildland firefighting training, according to annual reports.
And, last May, the department hosted fire departments from multiple cities for a training event on Burnaby Mountain focusing on tactics to protect homes from wildfires.
Hundreds of homes have been destroyed by ongoing wildfires in the Central Okanagan region alone, according to the latest estimates from fire chiefs in that area.
Lone Burnaby firefighter deployed
Yet, only one Burnaby firefighter has been deployed to help with wildfires this summer: Capt. Kris Anderson, who is currently leading a task force in Kelowna, according to city spokesperson Cole Wagner.
When the NOW asked why BFD hadn't been deployed and whether the decision had been made by the province or the fire department, Wagner said questions about deployment are "best answered by the province."
But the B.C. Wildfire Service and Ministry of Public Safety both declined to answer the questions, directing them back at the city.
The only explanation provided by the city was that the province asked the Burnaby Fire Department to provide "an immediate emergency response capability to all cities inside the Metro Vancouver region."
"This contingency plan has been designed to ensure the fire protection needs of the Metro Vancouver region are supported as fire departments from around the province deploy all available resources to aid in the province’s wildfire," Wagner said in an email.
Where that leaves the BFD's "uniquely positioned" ability to help with wildfires is unclear.
Chief Bowcock did not respond to the NOW’s request for more information as of this publication.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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