Plans announced for fallen B.C. wildfire fighter's memorial service

A public memorial procession and service to honour fallen B.C. wildfire fighter Devyn Gale will take place in her home town of Revelstoke on Saturday.

The BC Wildfire Service announced the plans Thursday, saying the procession will include Gale’s firefighting colleagues and other first responders and will feature a colour party and an honour guard.

Gale, 19, died on duty on July 13 after being struck by a falling tree. She was in her third year of service as a firefighter and was studying to be a nurse.

The City of Revelstoke shared details of the plans for the procession online, saying it will begin at 12:45 p.m. at the fire hall and end at the secondary school. Members of the public are invited to line the route to pay their respects.

“She died in service of her community, protecting the people of British Columbia,”  the notice from the city says.

Gale’s family has asked that anyone who wishes to make a donation in her name do so to the Revelstoke Community Foundation, “to allow her vibrant legacy to live forever in the Revelstoke Community.”

Since Gale’s death on July 13, two other firefighters have died in Canada. A man from Fort Liard, in the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories, died of an injury suffered last weekend while battling a wildfire in the district.

A helicopter pilot died while fighting fires in the Peace River region in Alberta.

“I’m heartbroken to hear that another Canadian fighting wildfires has lost their life – my condolences to the family and friends of the brave pilot whose helicopter crashed in Alberta yesterday. We’ll never forget his service to his province and to our country,” Prime Minis6ter Justin Trudeau tweeted Thursday.

The 2023 wildfire season is the worst on record in Canada, with more than 10 million hectares scorched.