Northern Rockies Fire Rescue presented a portion of its sustainable service delivery review, outlining 24/7 full-service fire and emergency response delivered by a mix of career and paid‑on‑call firefighters, supported by prevention, inspections, wildfire mitigation and extensive training (about 2,700 hours in 2025). The department provides structure, vehicle, airport and wildland firefighting, technical and highway rescue, and emergency management, with capacity to manage up to two concurrent structure fires. The First Responder program (in partnership with BC Emergency Health Services) has EMR‑trained firefighters attending life‑threatening and urgent medical calls; in 2025 the department responded to 353 medical calls (836 personnel hours). Services are funded mainly through general taxation and a $599K fire protection services levy, with limited provincial supply replacements and some grant funding; long‑term pressures include rising training and regulatory demands, apparatus replacement, recruitment/retention of paid‑on‑call staff, lack of mutual aid due to remoteness, and increasing emergency call volumes. The presentation will reconvene in July, date to be determined.
June 16 COTW Agenda | Video Recording
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