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Office of the Fire Commissioner, Fire Chiefs Association of B.C., and the BC Wildfire Service cooperate to train local fire departments.

Cranbrook, BC (June 4, 2021) -- Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services crews along with fire crews from the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK), Municipality of Golden and the Municipality of Invermere will participate in advanced wildfire suppression training this week. Twenty-eight structural firefighters will gain the skills and knowledge to lead a single fire engine and attached personnel to fight wildland fires this summer. 

Structural firefighters trained in wildland firefighting are dispatched to fight wildfires at the request of the BC Wildfire Service or the Office of the Fire Commissioner. The two-day Engine Boss course trains firefighters how to safely lead their crew and to take responsibility for crew safety and reporting to other incident supervisors during a wildland fire incident.

“We are quite excited as a region to further develop our wildfire structural defense skills and to expand our capacity to help the BC Wildfire Service deliver structural defense across the region this summer,” said Scott Driver, Director of Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services.

“This kind of training only happens when everyone involved in fire suppression – structural and wildland – cooperates toward the same goal.  Structural firefighters are getting trained to operate alongside BC Wildfire so that we more effectively respond as one team and better protect our communities.” 

“We’re also really thankful to our instructors from the City of West Kelowna and the City of Penticton. These dedicated individuals have dedicated countless hours to develop and deliver this course right across this Province. Everyone has stepped up to make sure we keep improving our fire suppression skills at the municipal and local government levels.”

Field training for the course will take place on Sunday, June 6 in Cranbrook after a one-day online training session.