A new report warns British Columbia's fire and rescue services are at a breaking point and calls for major reforms on how firefighters train and operate in the province.
The report submitted to the B.C. Solicitor General's Ministry by the Fire Services Liaison Group points to the fragmented control of the province's 350 fire-rescue services and differing standards for training and readiness.
"Because B.C.'s fire-rescue service has evolved without any central leadership and direction, there is a lack of co-ordination, co-operation and consistency that is hindering its ability to meet the challenges of today and the future," the report says.
"These problems are especially acute in smaller communities that depend on volunteers for fire and rescue services."
With firefighters now required to do more than just put out fires, the entire system needs to change, the report says.
The report, which took three years to produce, makes 14 recommendations.
Several focus on standardizing and improving training, including helping volunteer departments in small communities retain firefighters.
Training programs are offered in several B.C. locations and most try to meet national standards but local authorities set their own standards for their departments.
"That's one of the problems we run into, quite frankly," said Port Coquitlam Fire Chief Stephen Gamble, who chaired the liaison group and heads the B.C. Fire Chiefs Association.
"Not having an adopted uniform standard makes it difficult for not only the schools, but for the departments trying to meet some sort of level of protection for firefighters in the communities they're serving."
The report made public this week, also recommends fire departments under First Nation and federal jurisdiction, as well as those operating for private industry, consider adopting the recommendations.
Gamble said he had an emotional meeting with B.C. Lt.-Gov. Steven Point, an aboriginal leader, who urged reforms after a fire on a reserve that took several lives.
Gamble noted Alberta, Saskatchewan and one of the Maritime provinces are undertaking similar reviews.
"Some of them will be able to take this report and use it in their own areas so they're not necessarily starting from scratch."
Gamble said the Ministry of Solicitor General and Public Safety has reviewed the report, which was made public this week, but has not committed to acting on the recommendations yet.
Solicitor General Mike de Jong was not immediately available to comment.
Some recommendations, Gamble admitted, will cost money or require legislative changes to implement.
He said the top two priorities should be the report's call to set up a fire services advisory board and broaden the mandate of the provincial fire commissioner's office.
An advisory board would help set priorities for reform and work to implement the other recommendations.
Expanding the fire commissioner's powers would bring the office up to date, said Gamble.
"The fire service has changed so much just in the 30-plus years that I've been in the fire service," he said in an interview.
"We no longer just fight fires. We provide a whole host of services and that ranges from community to community."
Firefighters handle everything from hazardous-materials calls to motor-vehicle accidents and local emergency preparedness.
"Fifty per cent of our calls are assisting pre-hospital care and medical calls," Gamble pointed out.
The reforms would be especially valuable in supporting the dozens of small, volunteer departments, he said. Many volunteers see their work and family lives suffer because of the strain of being on call or summoned to emergencies, often daily.
"The volunteers serve well but they're under some stress here," said Gamble. "We're trying to come up with some solutions to assist them and their communities and their councils ... to try to make this not fall apart and put people at risk."
B.C. fire and rescue services have done a good job of protecting people up to now, the report says, but that could change if the system isn't modernized.
"As identified in the report, if we keep going down this road it's at a point where I'd say it's getting close to a breaking point," said Gamble.
