Tree that killed 19-year-old B.C. firefighter was flagged as dangerous before it fell: WorkSafeBC

Firefighters working alongside a 19-year-old woman who was killed when a burning tree fell on her last summer had expressed grave concerns about the large cedar before it fell.

But the danger was not addressed, according to a workplace safety investigation that found multiple violations and missteps by the B.C. Wildfire Service.

Devyn Gale died while she was cutting a downed tree into logs on a rugged hillside northwest of Revelstoke on July 13, 2023. Two other firefighters were injured trying to free her from the fallen tree.

Gale, along with a crew of six other wildfire fighters and one tree-faller, were helicoptered to the fire site that morning and began to clear trees and brush to create a fuel break around the flames.

Two other firefighters would join the crew to help clear a new helicopter site and an area to stage a portable water bladder to attack the fire.

The firefighters ate lunch with their supervisor at the bladder site while the tree-faller continued clearing trees.

Concerns about tree raised

During a lunchtime safety briefing, some of the firefighters raised concerns about three cedars they had identified the day before as potential hazard trees.

One of the trees had fallen overnight, another had a "widow-maker" or large broken limb hanging from its top, and the third was visibly burning from the inside, its top having already fallen off, according to the WorkSafeBC report.

"The two standing cedars were identified as being dangerous trees, and Firefighter 2 and Firefighter 4 brought forward concerns about them," the report says, redacting the identities of the firefighters and the supervisor who were on scene that day.

"Firefighter 4 had taken a video of the burning cedar that morning and showed it to the group, and Firefighter 2 described a close-call encounter with a similar burning cedar that had occurred."

The second firefighter "suggested that a no-work zone (an area that all workers should avoid) be put in place around it," according to the report. "After these concerns were raised, [redacted] no dangerous tree assessment was performed after the meeting."

A still image taken for a video of the burning cedar that fell and killed 19-year-old B.C. firefighter Devyn Gale. (WorkSafeBC)

It was decided that the firefighters "would take a heads-up approach around the burning cedar (that is, remain alert) and stay away from it if they felt uncomfortable," the workplace safety agency says.

After lunch, the firefighters began clearing trails to run hoses from the bladder while they waited for water to arrive by helicopter. "The firefighters determined that the burning cedar could be felled once the water delivery system was established, because falling the tree beforehand could contribute fuel to the existing fire," the report says.

Fatal incident

No one saw the burning cedar fall.

Investigators with WorkSafeBC determined that Gale was using a chainsaw to cut a downed tree into logs approximately six to nine metres from the base of the cedar when it came down on top of her.

Another firefighter heard the crack of the tree falling. The crew began radioing each other to check on each firefighter's status. When no response came from Gale, the firefighter who heard the fall began working his way over to her.

Details about what the firefighter saw when he arrived at the fallen tree are redacted from the WorkSafeBC report, but first aid efforts began immediately and a medevac helicopter was called.

Gale was pronounced dead. The supervisor and the firefighter who heard the tree fall were both injured trying to help her, according to the report.

WorkSafeBC highlighted multiple contributing factors to the fatal incident, including inadequate supervision, ineffective hazard management, and safety procedures not being followed.

"Even though the hazard of the burning cedar was reported, no actions were taken to eliminate or mitigate the risks," the safety investigation found, saying that failure contravenes regulatory requirements, training standards and the B.C Wildfire Service's established safety procedures.

Inadequate training, supervision

The provincial firefighting service did not conduct a proper assessment of the burning tree and instead "allowed work in close proximity to the hazards of the widow-maker and the burning cedar, with the only hazard-mitigating instructions being to keep a heads-up approach."

Maintaining such an approach "is nearly impossible during chainsaw activities as workers must be cognizant of the active saw, which presents additional risks if the worker’s eyes are taken away from its operation," the agency added.

WorkSafeBC also criticized the wildfire service for inadequate training of young and new workers, finding no documentation that Gale and others on site had received the required safety orientation and training.

Most of the firefighters on scene were fighting their first fire of the season when the fatal accident happened, according to the report.

"Some of the firefighters had not completed BCWS's new recruit bootcamp training despite being deployed to this fire," the report found. "Young and/or new workers were being deployed to fires without having received adequate information, instruction, and training."

Eby calls for reforms

B.C. Premier David Eby addressed the workplace safety report during an unrelated news conference Wednesday, saying it is clear that "something had gone tragically wrong on the site."

The premier said he is asking the provincial wildfire service to fix the problems highlighted in the WorkSafeBC investigation.

"There's no question that people who sign up for the wildfire service are signing up for an inherently risky and difficult job, but it should never be risky or dangerous because of the lack of training, because the concern that somebody raised about safety wasn't acknowledged in the way that it should have been," Eby said.

"I have directed the minister of forests to ensure that the B.C. Wildfire Service has implemented all these recommendations," he said.

"I'm advised that they've made a number of significant changes to ensure that young people especially have the protections they deserve. It was a commitment that I made to Devyn's family was that this death of a remarkable woman with all the potential in the world would not be in vain, that we would learn from it."

B.C. Forests Minister Bruce Ralston, whose ministry oversees the B.C. Wildfire Service, says the province is taking action on the report's findings.

"Over the past year we have been working to improve how we fight wildfire in B.C. – starting with supporting the people who work tirelessly on the front lines and taking action to help keep them safe," Ralston said in a statement emailed to CTV News on Wednesday.

"It is my profound hope that the action we are taking today, including our work responding to all WorkSafeBC findings, will prevent tragedies in the future."