FireWise Consulting Delivers Fire Safety Knowledge That Saves Lives

FireWise Consulting was started in 2008. The principals in the company were aware of the 2004 Judgement of Inquiry looked into the line of duty death of a paid-on-call firefighter in Clearwater, B.C.. The inquiry made three recommendations. The most significant recommendation was that every fire department in the province of B.C. should be audited to comply with safety standards, best practices, equipment, and maintenance. 

At this point, FireWise Consulting became involved in audits of fire departments on request. In the following years FireWise Consulting conducted more than 150 audits and inspections in B.C. and Alberta. The audits and inspections were not punitive.  They were status reports of where fire departments were standing in compliance with the safety of the firefighters.

The status reports made recommendations creating a roadmap for fire departments and their governing bodies to improve.

FireWise Consulting’s Ernie Polsom believes local governments need to step up to the plate on funding, and all the relevant public safety agencies need to face funding issues, WorksafeBC issues, occupational health and safety regulations and priorities. FireWise pointed out to the fire departments the necessity of interacting with jurisdictional authorities. “It is a team effort with assigned responsibilities and duties to meet the duty of care and standard of care obligations,” says Polsom

"Our main concerns are always the duty of care standards that must be met according to established service levels employed by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).” 

ICBA continues to lead

 in training and apprenticeship

When it comes to training and apprenticeship, the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) is at the head of the class.

The construction industry is constantly evolving, and continual training is needed so workers don’t fall behind. Everyone needs to stay current with safety tickets, technical changes, code updates and more in order to get ahead in their careers. Whether you are new in the construction industry or would like to add to your experience, ICBA has courses for you. This year, they offered more than 900 courses and that number keeps growing.

CRC Trades Instruction Made Available in B.C.

SEP 20, 2023 - Rob Duncan, who belongs to the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, is an instructor in Prince George for the Carpenters’ Regional Council (CRC), of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

"I teach Fall Protection, Confined Space, mobile elevated work platforms, scaffolding, apprenticeship, and deliver programs we call ‘boot camps,’ job-specific courses to give community members the basic knowledge about opportunities in the trades," specifically in carpentry and scaffolding.

FNNBOA Primer on IBKE

Hello Friends and Colleagues,

Indigenous Building Knowledge Exchange (IBKE) was developed to address the need for knowledge transfer services to Councils or individuals working on new or renovation construction projects.

Over the years, First Nations National Building Officers Association (FNNBOA) found there are large demands for an organization to deliver know-how and guidance to Indigenous communities in the construction of new or existing buildings. IBKE is introduced as a pilot project to address these many of these challenges.

The objectives of IBKE are:

C-100 Training for Fire Suppression and Safety

Civilian-Oriented Wildfire Safety Instruction from Jake Jacobson

C-100 Wildfire Safety Instruction is a new one-day program geared to property owners, and Jake Jacobson of Wildwood Resources Ltd., Salmon Arm, British Columbia, (B.C.), immediately delivered six sessions of C-100 to over 100 people this spring and summer in the Shuswap.

Wildwood Resources Ltd. Fire Fighting S100A Refresher Course

Keeps Forest Fire Fighting  Safety on The Front Burner

www.s100a.com

In recent years, a new priority in fire protection has emerged in British Columbia (B.C.). "Structure protection trailer units have been put in service by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) and other jurisdictions. Structure Protection Unit are used to protect homes, commercial buildings and all structures threatened by Wildland fires," said Jake Jacobson of Wildwood Resources Ltd. in Salmon Arm, B.C..

Jacobson says the province has several Structure Protection semi-trailers that are dispatched quickly with trained personnel to communities that are threatened by a wildfire. "Fire Department and private trailers are located all around the province." The usefulness of this equipment is apparent to any experienced firefighter. 

Wildland Resources Ltd. offers forest fire fighting training courses, some of which are delivered online. "If WorkSafeBC requires that you have the annual S-100A Refresher Course, it is now available online to anyone with a current S-100 ticket. The course fee is only $20," says Jacobson. "Go to www.s100a.com or phone 1-250-832-2300.

"My involvement with fire prevention, fire training and fire fighting includes many years in a volunteer fire department, Regional District Emergency Programme and working as a Fire Warden for the Ministry of Forests," says Jacobson.

"In 38 years, I can see a difference in fire behaviour as climate change is definitely altering the environment. Today we have to throw out all the old models on fire prediction and behaviour. New data and forecasting ability gives us a greater ability to respond, but the demands are increasing."

Jacobson says, "We had a wildfire in Salmon Arm in 1998 that burned up the side of two mountains, and this landscape has not recovered in any substantial way. Some grass and shrubs have returned but in 25 years it's not coming back to the same condition it normally would."

As fires burn hotter, the natural regeneration process of a burned forest can be stopped. This happens in a dramatic increase in a fire's intensity. B.C. has been witness to unusual torrents of hotter fires. Pinecones and seeds that survive a normal wildland fire get destroyed and desertification of the soil becomes a new reality. Jacobson looks at an example of this out his window at home.

He runs the S100A course at www.s100a.com, "The people taking the course have changed a lot.” It used to be the BC Wildfire Services would hire local people to fight wildland fires. Jacobson would maintain a list of 20-25 qualified local individuals that could be called upon to do initial attack. They were known as EFF’s, Emergency Fire Fighters.

Over the past 10-15 years the use of EFF’s through out the Province has been greatly reduced and now the BCWS relies on government crews, contract crews and industry. 

“The full S100 course and the annual S100A refresher course is required by anyone fighting a wildland fire in BC.  Today we see Tree planters, loggers, road builders, silviculture workers and blasters all take the course. Now urban and rural fire departments are also taking wildland fire fighting training because bushfires are encroaching on towns and cities. This has become more pronounced in the past few years."

Obviously cities are spreading out, Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Kelowna, Vernon, all have faced severe fire events in the past two decades. Spreading the knowledge about fire mitigation and prevention has become essential, because, while fires are seasonal in nature, they leave generational imprints on society. Witness the disappearance of Lytton, the town in B.C. that went up in smoke in hours in 2021, 250 people in the southern Fraser Valley burned out of their homes in less than an afternoon.

 

The S100 is a two-day course designed by the B.C. Ministry of Forests. The first day is classroom delivery of information about fire behaviour, fire weather, different types of fires, safe firefighting methods and a lot more. 

On the second day, we go out to the field, with the proper clothing including helmets, gloves, boots and learn how to use shovels and Pulaski’s to build fire guard. The students also learn how to set up and run high-pressure pumps, deploy fire hose, do fire assessments and all of the practical duties found on a safe job site. The day culminates in the students forming fire attack teams and going after an imaginary forest fire.

And make no mistake. When raging forest fires are splashing across the news, the people in the field are trained to put the safety of themselves and their co-workers first.

Jacobson says, "What they shouldn't do comes first. I preach Safety, Safety and Safety. All of the” safeties” in that statement are the important, but the second safety is the most important," he jokes.

"Learning how to read a fire is critical. Understanding what a fire wants to do can save your life. Structure fire fighters look at a fire for a few minutes to decide what they are going to do. A wildland firefighter may look at the fire for ten minutes to decide what to do." The difference is often clear, a structure fire burns the structure, but a forest fire burns a countryside. 

"It may just start coming after you! Escape from the fire is always the paramount concern so a lot of time is spent on learning fire entrapment avoidance. We want our firefighters to get home safe and sound so we can send them off to an even uglier fire the next day.

"Our Initial Attack (IA) crews usually consist of 3 firefighters, a 4x4 truck, portable pump, hose and hand tools. They are tasked with getting to the fire quickly while it is still small in order to slow it down or contain it. If the fire is beyond the crews capacity they call for other crews, air tanker support, or heavy equipment such as bulldozers”

Jacobson says this is done, "quick as possible. We use the 10 a.m. concept. Most fires start in the afternoon and we may work through the night in order to contain them by 10 a.m. the next morning. After 10 a.m. conditions start to heat up again and the fire intensity increases.

"Often it only takes a few hours to contain or extinguish a small fire. We had over 1,600 fires last summer and only thirty or so became real problems."

The mandated emergency protocols put responsibility on industry to respond to wildland fires within one km of their work site. Management needs to respond with trained workers. Railroads, BC Hydro and First Nations have an agreement with the BCWS to respond to fires on their land or right of way.

Jacobson was introduced to the practice of wildland fire fighting during the Salmon Arm Eden Fire in 1973. "We had one of our worst fires start on Sept. 19th after a long hot dry spell. It eventually burned 6,000 hectares right beside the city and prompted the first large scale evacuation in B.C.’s history."

Central and Southern Interior of B.C. has various landscapes and ecologies, including steppe desert near Kamloops. It gets extremely hot and dry by July and August, sometimes June. Jacobson has witnessed big fires as late as September and smaller fires in November and as early as late March. “That's a long time each year to be sitting on the edge of a chair," he says.

"If you're working in the bush you must have the two-day S100 certification. WorkSafeBC requires the S100A Annual Safety Refresher be taken each year. The S100 is the minimum standard in the field but there are more advanced training courses for initial attack crews."

The S185, he says, is a wildfire entrapment avoidance course, "The term 'Fire Entrapment Avoidance' indicates a situation where proper strategies have been put into place and well thought out tactics are employed in the fire fighting efforts. These strategies and tactics must be put in place before any fire fighting activities begin."

In the past two decades the forests in the province of B.C. have faced serious challenges, like the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation. "I've never been on a MPB fire, but I've heard it rips through it like dead grass."

The forest fire fighting industry is a boots-on-the-ground business, "We have an extremely good safety record in B.C. forest fire fighting. We have very few injuries, and almost no fatalities. This is because we stress safety, and crew leaders don't take chances. What's burning is just trees, they can be replanted and homes can be rebuilt but you cannot replace a dead firefighter!" 

BCWS and fire departments have been very good at building capacity to fight fires with the right emphasis on personal safety. "Sometimes people may be watching news reports of the growth of a wildland fire, but I can assure you, inaction is always based on safety. Coordination of resources is critical. A water drop from an air tanker may not do any good if there are no crews to go in after to extinguish the fire once it has been slowed down."

Working out the logistics of aerial attack, ground crew deployment and heavy equipment is critical to successful fire attack. "If you see firefighters sitting around on a news stream, it is probably because the air tankers, bulldozers or dangerous tree fallers are in they’re doing their job first."

Jacobson reflects on the changes in the southern Interior region of B.C. over the last 40 years. People are building into the forests and are fully surrounded by trees and brush. Fire prevention measures are being taken in the interface areas but the main responsibility lies with the individual homeowner to reduce the fire hazard on their property. 

Jacobson is familiar with the FireSmart Program. (Source https://firesmartbc.ca/) What is FireSmart? Wildfire is a risk that all British Columbians need to be prepared for. But while that seems like a big task, FireSmart is here to help you get started and take proven steps toward protecting your home and your community from wildfire.

Jacobson says, "When roads and access routes are cleared, siding on buildings is metal and clearings permit vehicles to turn around, the fire fighters have more confidence about going in to fight the fire. Check with your local authority to see if there is anyone in your area promoting the FireSmart programme."

At www.s100a.com, the following courses are described in detail:

S100A: Annual Safety Refresher for 2025

S185: Fire Entrapment Avoidance and Safety: This course covers information required by a wildland Firefighter to avoid being trapped by a Forest Fire.

WHMIS: Workplace Hazardous Material Information System for Forest Workers. (The WHMIS for Forest Workers has been updated to GHS, 2015 standards.)

Freelance Writing by Mack McColl in 2023 Updated Dec 2024

Brown's Bay Packing Co. Ltd

Value and Vision in Food Processing on Vancouver Island -- Brown's Bay Packing Co. Ltd.

Browns Bay Packing Value and Vision in Food Processing on Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island native Stephen Hall is Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Brown's Bay Packing of Campbell River, B.C..  Hall pursued a career in operational management in heavy industries and infrastructure including pulp and paper mills, oil sands plants, net-pen fish farm sites, and fish processing plants. Jobs took him to remote coastal waters in B.C., remote wilderness in B.C. forests, and the oil sands of northeast Alberta.

Brown's Bay Packing, he says, is a nice fit for a family man from the west coast. "I worked in the oil sands and we had many people on the ground. It was installing big equipment. There was $2.7 billion dollars of equipment waiting to be assembled when I arrived. And it was innovative design."

The money was great working in Alberta but the Halls were busy raising a family which the commute to Fort McMurray made difficult. An opportunity arrived in  seafood processing facilities closer to home.

Hall knew a variety of industries existed on Vancouver Island. His career in facilities management began at a pulp and paper mill operating until 2010 in Campbell River. He believed one of the thriving industries in Port Hardy was the fish farm industry around North Vancouver Island and on the coast.

"They called me to be maintenance manager at a processing plant in Port Hardy. It would be commuting, just not as far. I was one year as maintenance manager, one year as operations manager, and seven years as processing director."

Hall did project development at facilities on Vancouver Island up the coast, and in the Lower Mainland. One project called for transition of a remote facility from processing whole fish for value added production at a smoking plant.

"They needed a commercial grade kiln made in France, portioning machinery, and vacuum packing machinery. It sustains approximately 20 solid jobs."

Hall watched changes take place in small communities with jobs and investment. He saw fish farming and fish and seafood processing becoming a local investment in the 'social capital' (human resources) of remote communities on Vancouver Island and along the coast of British Columbia. A lot of people are pulling on the same chain. 

Don Millerd established Brown’s Bay Packing in 1989,  where the fish industry on the west coast has been part of Millerd family of Vancouver which has a Canadian heritage in fish processing on the west coast. Dave Stover of Campbell River is co-owner of Brown's Bay Packing. "Dave and I grew up in Campbell River," says Hall, "playing sports together. A couple of years ago, Dave and Don approached me about the position at Brown's Bay Packing."

Taking a position on the north end of Campbell River was an easy decision to make. Hall's family has always been in Campbell River, their daughter is enrolled at a local high school and their son attends university in eastern Canada. The location for work changing to Campbell River came at the same time as commuting to Port Hardy was taking its toll. Travel is arduous, float planes are exhausting, 350 kilometres one way from C.R. to Port Hardy on a lovely scenic highway is mind-numbing.

"I joined a good team," Hall says, "They base decisions on value and vision, value for the employees and vision for the direction the company is taking."

Hall brought organizational and financial goal-setting skills to day-to-day operations. "Our personnel comes from a lot of places, Campbell River, Comox Valley, and small towns and First Nation communities on the north island."

He calls it an inclusive workforce meeting the everyday challenges of delivering fresh processed fish to the markets of Canada, USA, and Asia. The challenges have been formidable in recent years. 

But Canada is obviously an advanced economy, and Hall has played a role in keeping the machinery working in a few different industries, economic engines often competing in international economic development, as his curriculum vitae attests.

(Hall is a graduate of the UBC Sauter School of Business.) "We need people who think differently in a changing economy," he says. Brown's Bay Packing works in a salmon industry that performs throughout the year processing 100 percent fresh Atlantic salmon to be delivered head on, gutted, graded, and boxed in ice.

Brown's Bay Packing is a modern $30 million dollar plant. Shifts run from 6 a.m. when the first ship arrives with a harvest, and stops anywhere from noon to 3 p.m.. A fish packing vessel delivers fish to be processed at 37,000 lbs per hour up to 42,000 lbs per hour. The Atlantic salmon weigh out at 5 kg packed after processing.

The Brown's Bay Packing product is delivered 70 percent to the USA, 25 percent to Canada, and 5 percent to Asia. Everything arrives at its market destination with 24 to 48 hours.

"We were an essential service when Covid-19 caused the fish marketing industry to take food service to the next level for a while," as mandates altered the retail market. "We haven't missed a beat since March 2020. We implemented Covid-19 protocols for our employees and the people who deliver fish and pick up fish for transport. We hired extra cleaning staff. We had regular updates on rules and regulations.

"We are situated on three quarters of an acre, so it's not a huge space. We have a highly automated processing floor, where it has always been safety first. Our people are conscious of all health and safety rules. We promote a philosophy of care and concern. You know, in the old days, somebody might last 10 years in grueling work conditions of a fish plant. Now they can make a life-long career including reduced risk of injury and burn-out." Brown's Bay Packing has more than a few 20 year employees and is proud of a strong employee retention record.

Being declared an essential service helped Brown's Bay Packing work through the Covid-19 pandemic. "The fish farms had fish to get out to market. The freight companies  adjusted logistics with BC Ferries and others. Flights to Canada, USA, and Asia departed nightly delivering our fresh fish." No mean feat to deliver fresh food during a global pandemic. The workforce at Brown's Bay Packing were proud of their achievements and deservedly so. Now they have at least two years of clear sailing on delivering fresh seafood to the world, as long as they have fish to move.

Freelance Writing by Mack McColl in 2021

ICBA Training Leading the Way in Construction Training

Construction company owners, by nature, are problem-solvers. They see a challenge, and they work to overcome it. It’s in their DNA and they bring it to every aspect of their business – including recruiting, retaining, and training their workers.

With Canada going over the demographic cliff of an aging workforce and industries from restaurants to healthcare to construction all feeling the pinch of a lack of young workers, our builders are desperately looking for innovative ways to draw in new apprentices—and looking specifically at how to attract and train more Indigenous people in construction.

This is an incredible opportunity for young people, wherever they live. And the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) – representing 3,300 construction companies – is leading the way in training.

Last year, ICBA directly trained more than 3,500 people, and its network of members trained tens of thousands more. ICBA itself is the single largest sponsor of trades apprentices in B.C., with nearly 1,500.

And ICBA and its network are offering training in new, innovative, intelligent ways. ICBA teamed up with six BC painting companies and developed a 14-week distance learning program for working painters looking to challenge for their Red Seals. Close to 50 painters have been able to get the Red Seal while still working and living in their communities.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ICBA’s colleagues at the Pacific Vocational College – which specializes in training plumbers – accelerated its interactive “distance live” model of training. Among its most recent innovations is the use of scale models of plumbing equipment that it produces on its 3D printers and sends out to apprentices – enabling them to do a code-compliant set up of an apartment’s bathroom plumbing on their kitchen tables. Hundreds of plumbers can now be trained while still living in their communities.

ICBA member LMS Reinforcing Steel Group has launched its own LMS Academy to support the training of their workers toward Red Seal accreditation.

LMS alone sponsors more apprentices (216) than the entire Ironworkers Local 97 (206) union. That includes nine young women and 29 Indigenous apprentices – two underrepresented groups that virtually every company is trying to attract to the trades.

And that’s just apprentices. Fully 25% of LMS’s general forepeople are Indigenous. There are more than 40 Indigenous workers at LMS, and more than 20 women.

There are incredible opportunities in construction, and ICBA Training is at the centre of many of them.

ICBA’s training calendar offers everything from entry-level construction courses such as Building Construction – Putting It All Together to supervisory and management courses such as Effective Management Skills and Site Leadership.

Other popular courses include computer training sessions such as Microsoft Excel Basics for Business, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft Outlook.

ICBA also offers a series of courses on Human Resources, from The Basics to more in-depth sessions such as Meaningful Performance & Development Conversations, Workplace Bullying, Harassment, and Effective Interviewing.

Personal development programs such as Time Management and Communications Skills are also found on ICBA’s course calendar.

Not able to make it to the classroom? No problem! Many of ICBA’s courses are available via webinar or in an online self-paced format.

For a full list of ICBA’s upcoming courses, visit www.icba.ca/courses or email training@icba.ca for more information.

Article supplied by ICBA in 2022

Njord Marine Service Ltd. in B.C. Aquaculture

Njord Marine Service Ltd. Specifically Designed for Aquaculture

Ian Durke became General Manager of Njord Marine Service Ltd. in Campbell River, B.C., in 2019. The company works in the aquaculture industry on the west coast and Njord Marine Service Ltd. has been participating in the production of healthy fish on Canada's west coast since 2017.

"We have seven vessels, including six catamarans and one monohull. The cats are specifically designed  for operating around net-pens to do net management and washing, treatment support, anchoring, or grid maintenance and repairs, freight runs and overall site support," says Durke.

He came out of the commercial fishery which was a career for him from the 1990s. The company he was with worked in partnership with an aquaculture company engaged in growing salmon and he shifted from commercial fisheries to farmed fish.

Most people know fish farms operate year round, and the net-pen sites have a host of maintenance schedules and commitments. Njord Marine Service Ltd. has an office in Campbell River where Ian and Blake the logistics & maintenance coordinator spend most days working. Durke works with other management team members, Chris Engel and Jesse MacLeod, and company clients, to keep things operating smoothly.

"We presently have 35 employees and we are hiring. We had 50 employees before the Discovery Islands decision by the DFO minister in 2020. We lost 12 out of that decision. We had to tie up vessels. We fortunately obtained a new contract from one of the fish farm companies, so we are back to hiring."

Of course this means Njord Marine Service Ltd. has to cycle through the process of training new personnel and equipping them with operational skills for vessels, ROVs, and farm site orientation and understanding. "We will be doing treatment support and net management as well as suppling OFA level 3 first aid attendants for these contracts. We will do work on the grid systems and net installations. We will support the salmon producers' treatment vessels," says Durke.

These jobs pay well and provide full-time year round employment. The people in the fish farming industry earn good salaries. The ship's captains are certified by Transport Canada. All personnel meet and exceed WorkSafeBC requirements. And everybody abides by the rigorous standards imposed by regulations over fish farms in B.C.'s coastal waters.

Njord Marine Service Ltd. has been able to retain the core of their workforce, "I have a lot of great people with long-standing service in the company. When I was hired on, Njord Marine Service Ltd. was entering a growth phase, especially in 2018. We were beginning to get busy with these specifically designed vessels." The company began service in B.C. in 2017 with one cat, and added two more each year and a monohull in 2021 up to 7 vessels.

"We are a proud B.C. company with B.C. crews. We get our equipment and machine maintenance done locally, most of it in Port Hardy, Campbell River, Nanaimo and Victoria. We find our crew members from Victoria, Chemainus, Nanaimo, Campbell River, and Port Hardy. We have job opportunities are for deckhands, captains, more recently we are looking for an office admin person. We hire out of local colleges like Western Maritime Institute, in Ladysmith, B.C., and others," says Durke.

"You need to be a hard worker, have that ethic, and you need to love working at sea. For the most part, these are jobs for people who have marine work experience and are looking for careers. Our captains have tickets for 60 tonne vessels, 150 tonne vessels, and 500 tonne vessels."

The mono-hull in the fleet does the mechanical de-lousing service on farm sites. The name of the ship is Coastal Server and it utilizes a Skamik system. The vessel arrived from overseas this past December.

"We have seen a great synergy on the west coast bringing people together including reconciliation with First Nation communities and business leaders."

Freelance Writing by Malcolm 'Mack' McColl in 2023, updated 2024

FireWise Consulting Training Programs

Climate Change, Volunteers and the Challenges of Fire Fighting in 2024

Apr. 5, 2024 -- "We are working with the Kahnawake Mohawk Nation this spring, which reflects our national footprint. We connect fire departments and their communities to advanced knowledge internationally and across the country," says Ernie Polsom, Chief Executive Officer of FireWise Consulting, with four decades of experience in training personnel to prevent and fight fires. 

FireWise Consulting is just as likely to work in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as in Alberta, Saskatchewan, or British Columbia and the Yukon.

"FireWise delivers most of our training programs to fire investigators and inspectors who are upgrading skills," says Polsom. "We offer an online service with a complete program to get students from sign-up to completion of their ProBoard certification online from the comfort of your home or fire station." 

While the courses come in a variety, the demand for teaching fire-fighting worldwide stays the same. "While we are a full-service fire and emergency management consulting company, our training focus has been preventing or investigating structural fires. Our focus is expanding to include emergency management, leadership, and specialty investigations for emerging issues like e-vehicles."

FireWise is not just focussing on fire protection professionals. FireWise has created educational resources to enhance the understanding of building owners and managers. 

"Our Fire Inspection for the Building Owner course offers vital information that will help reduce fire risks and involve building owners as allies in the fire safety system. The most effective fire prevention is avoiding fires altogether."

There are a few critical priorities that firefighters across Canada are working to manage. "Climate change is affecting every aspect of our service model. From heat emergencies affecting our residents with complex health requirements and heat impacts on firefighters working emergency scenes, to a wholly changed wildland-interface fire risk profile for nearly every community, climate change is challenging us all.

"We can see it all around us with the increased frequency and severity of drought cycles, extreme heat, and low snow levels. These ongoing changes place First Nation and Metis communities on the front lines," says Polsom.

What is the main worry of people who teach others how to fight fires? Polsom gets right to the issue. "The shortage of volunteer firefighters. This is a big problem, with big training demands, fewer volunteers, and insufficient staff at facilities." 

He says this is the case in Canada and also around the world. In one of many examples, "We just examined fire service optimization in Armenia. The trouble is, they don't have enough staff. It's happening everywhere you look. All sectors are having trouble finding volunteers to get trained." 

Recent Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs studies suggest that Canada lost 30,000 volunteer firefighters between 2016 and 2022. Polsom says the nature of training has been affected by changes in the nature of the threat. 

The science of structure fires and the growth of fires inside structures have changed. He says it is because materials are different in furniture, fixtures, and finishing.

Thus, the nature of fire is different. Firefighters encounter unpredictable profiles for fires with new electronics, batteries, and appliances bursting with chemical energy. Polsom' team includes consultants and instructors, all with long histories in the fire service. 

"Consulting work requires examination of operational personnels' level and types of training, equipment, protective gear, knowledge of preventative services, and hands-on training for the breadth of services offered by the department." 

Equally important to FireWise training programs, "We are all highly experienced investigators, inspectors and fire service leaders – our experiences help link the theory we teach to real-life applications. We are also up to date with modern trends and integrate them into our work. 

"Twenty years ago, few volunteer fire departments did much for medical  response. Now some departments are seeing those calls reflect up to 70% of their total call volumes – an issue for career and volunteers," Polsom says.

What do Canadian fire services look like? 

As a fire protection services professional who has worked in Canada and around the world for 40 years, every project FireWise is involved in now focuses on climate change and sustainable resourcing in addition to the more standard areas of fire response and training. 

"Our solutions, whether affordable access to leading practice courses and certifications through online delivery methods or creative solutions built in consultation with our clients to meet the emergency response needs of their communities, reflect these priorities."

When losses do happen, "We are there to assist in understanding everything that went well and identify opportunities to support our responders and residents better. For example, in Hay River, where there were two wildfires last year, FireWise was hired to investigate the causes of those fires."

Wildfires will be the ongoing 'big story' affecting communities across Canada. "We already had a fire that went 'out of control' in Lumby, B.C., in early March 2024," Polsom says. "The weather, temperature, and fire intensity have been unpredictable in the past several years, posing challenges for professional firefighters."

Large fires in the Lower Mainland, extensive wildfires in jurisdictions like Alberta, Moncton and the Northwest Territories reflect the national scope and challenge of wildfires and are creating new problems including changing vegetation and the loss of ground cover destabilizing slopes. 

"The loss of ground cover and forests makes our lands vulnerable to erosion and flash flooding."

Polsom is aware of the wildfire threats faced by First Nations communities. 

"First Nations are often on the front line of these fires. There are ways to be prepared. We offer training programs to help First Nations protect their homes, property, and critical infrastructure. Together, we can help make these communities more resilient and better able to protect themselves from these fires that appear to be a permanent part of our lives. Together, we can convince Federal and Provincial governments to make necessary investments in community safety."

FireWise Consulting is honoured to be a part of helping build strong and resilient communities through education, consulting and knowledge sharing.

Article Prepared by McColl Magazine in April 2024

Macandales in Port Hardy, B.C.

Serving North Island Industry and Homeowners Since 1978  

Article originally appeared in MOWI Canada West Newsletter called Wharfside

PORT HARDY, B.C. – Macandales has been serving North Island customers for over 40 years, and one of their largest is Mowi Canada West.

Dale Dorward, the ‘Dale’ in Macandale (his father, Mac, is the ‘Mac’ that started the business in 1978), says Mowi “Is our biggest customer, so we are tuned into what they’re doing. We have very specific people in their company that we deal with here on the North Island, as their plant operation is here in Port Hardy, but we also sell products to their other locations like Klemtu.”

Dorward notes that Macandales has been involved in supplying the fish farming industry since it started on the North Island in Winter Harbour, and served Stolt Sea Farms and Marine Harvest, now Mowi, over the years.

“Marine equipment is the largest part of our business with Mowi, and we supply outboard engines, do boat rigging and engine and equipment repairs, plus we sell a lot of smaller power equipment to them, like generators, pumps, pressure washers.

“We’ve had a super relationship with them for as long as I can remember.”

Macandales specializes in the sales and service of logging, marine, small engines, home and garden, and off-road recreation equipment and supplies. They also offer a large selection of workwear, safety gear, and casual clothing.

The store at 8640 Wollason Street, just off Market Street, is Port Hardy’s authorized sales and service centre for Stihl, Husq-varna, Honda, Yamaha Marine and BE Power Pressure Washer products. It also carries products from brands such as Carhartt, Helly Hansen, Viking, Viberg, Lil Workers, Pioneer, Canswe, Big K, Sevaen, Stanfield’s, and Mustang.

The company’s formal name is Macandale Rentals Ltd., and they have 14 staff to serve customers across the mid and north B.C. Coast, and communities of Port McNeill, Port Alice, Alert Bay, Bella Bella, Ocean Falls, Klemtu, Woss, Zeballos and Holberg.

Macandales also provides the North Island with the largest selection of rental equipment ranging from construction equipment to home renovation tools to lawn and garden care machines.  www.macandales.com

City of Kimberley Advances Wildfire Risk Reduction With Support from FESBC

KIMBERLEY, B.C. – June 18, 2024 -- The City of Kimberley, with funding support from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), is making significant strides in wildfire risk reduction through a targeted project in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) southwest of the community. This initiative, important to help better protect the community, the wildlife habitats and community infrastructure, including City and public assets such as power and water infrastructure, municipal buildings, schools, etc., began in the summer of 2023, and the City’s efforts on the project are ongoing.

“Protecting, people, communities and forests from the threat of worsening wildfires caused by climate change is something our government takes seriously,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. “In partnership with the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), we are funding wildfire risk reduction projects that reduce fuels in forests near communities. These projects not only help slow or stop the spread of fires, but greatly increase the success of fire suppression efforts by BC Wildfire Service crews on the ground.”

In the summer of 2023, the City began work on its wildfire risk reduction project on 102 hectares of land in the WUI—the area where houses and other buildings are close to, or mixed with, natural areas like forests or grasslands—southwest of Kimberley. This area, identified over 15 years ago as needing treatment, was deprioritized until it was established as Williamson's sapsucker habitat. The forest area provides essential living conditions for the Williamson's sapsucker, a species of woodpeckers important for biodiversity and forest ecosystem health. With FESBC's support, the City could address this high-risk area, a known corridor for the flow of fire, and work toward effectively reducing the potential for more severe wildfires.

Bob Gray, an AFE-Certified Wildland Fire Ecologist and Fire Scientist with the City said, “The support of FESBC is significant in helping the City meet its wildfire risk reduction and maintenance objectives.

 

Specifically, the FESBC funds, due to the scale of funding, have been instrumental in tackling an area of extreme hazard in what has been historically known as a dominant fire flow corridor. Without FESBC funding, the City would not be able to treat at the scale necessary to make a difference to fire size and severity.”

Given the difficult terrain, the treatments are being carried out manually (by people instead of machines), focused on thinning the forest to create gaps between the trees, cutting low-hanging branches, and reducing the amount of woody fuel through pile burning during appropriate burning conditions. The project is expected to be completed by the winter of 2024. This methodical approach will restore natural ecological health while effectively managing wildfire risks. Indeed, the two objectives go hand-in-hand with numerous other benefits.

Brian Watson, operations manager with FESBC said, “FESBC acknowledges the City of Kimberley as a leader in interface management. Funding this project aligns well with our purposes; by thinning the forests, we are creating a more fire-resilient stand while at the same time restoring favourable conditions for the Williamson's sapsucker. FESBC’s investment will tie into the greater strategic WRR plan for the city and of the Rocky Mountain Resource District which is active, through their WRR program, in areas adjacent to the Municipal lands.”

Clearly, the City’s strategic and proactive approach also involves major ecological considerations for the wildfire risk reduction work as well as considering wildlife habitat. The City has already developed a guidebook through funding from the Columbia Basin Trust on how to balance wildfire risk reduction with wildlife habitat management. This guide was a joint effort between fire ecologists and wildlife biologists and this FESBC-funded project is one of the case studies referenced in the guidebook.

“The team of biologists we work with collaborates closely with fire management experts and foresters to carefully plan our actions. We begin by setting clear goals based on what we know about fire behaviour and its effects on the environment. Then, we repeatedly test and adjust our strategies to find the best solutions that not only reduce the risk of wildfires but also protect wildlife habitat. Throughout this project, we've successfully found ways to meet both fire safety and environmental conservation goals without compromising one for the other,” said Gray.

In Kimberley's wildfire risk reduction efforts, the choice between chipping and mastication - the process of mechanically grinding or shredding vegetation to reduce fuel loads and manage forest undergrowth - or burning is influenced by several factors, and while the City has employed both methods in the past, this particular project is heavily favouring planned and prescribed burns over chipping. The significant biomass in the project, exceeding 80 metric tonnes per hectare, is challenging to manage through chipping and mastication alone due to the slow decomposition rates of the woody fibre left after the work and the predicted magnitude of the fuel that would be spread on the forest floor post-treatment.

The buildup can become a fire hazard itself. Historically, local ecosystems have adapted to fire as the primary method of wood decomposition, making burning a natural fit. Burning mimics these natural processes, effectively reducing fuel loads and preventing the high-intensity fires that can result from chipped material smouldering during wildfires. This method, according to Gray, is not only supported by the scientific community but is also considered a success for the City in better protecting the community by reducing its future wildfire risk.

Don McCormick, Mayor of the City of Kimberley, explained how long the City has been involved in the wildfire risk reduction work and the importance of FESBC funding. “Kimberley has made wildfire mitigation a priority since 2006, maximizing grants to get as much work done as possible. Efforts intensified in 2018 after the community was on evacuation alert for three weeks. As wildfire risk has increased, getting enough money to make a difference has been more difficult. The funding from FESBC allowed us to get more done with economies of scale [more efficiently], employ more people longer, and build capacity for future efforts. We could not have done any of this without FESBC’s funding support. It has made our community a safer place.”

The City of Kimberley continues to build upon its wildfire risk reduction work and drafted a five-year landscape fire risk and impact reduction plan to identify logical treatment areas and required budgets to do the work. The plan will be forwarded to BC Wildfire Service shortly. The City will further benefit from a large-scale fire risk and impacts assessment being conducted by the First Nations Emergency Services Society of BC (an arm of the BC First Nations Forestry Council) and the local Ktunaxa Nation. “Wildfire risk reduction is critical if we are going to have any hope of reducing the area burned and the negative consequences of fire,” noted Gray. “The best form of wildfire mitigation is taking steps to reduce wildfire risk. It works, but it has to be scaled up.”

Supplied by Robert W. Gray, AFE-Certified Wildland Fire Ecologist and Fire Scientist | mailto:bobgray@shaw.ca | 604-795-0841

About FESBC: the purposes of FESBC are to advance environmental and resource stewardship of B.C.'s forests by -  preventing and mitigating the impact of wildfires; improving damaged or low-value forests; improving habitat for wildlife; supporting the use of fibre from damaged and low-value forests; and treating forests to improve the management of greenhouse gases. FESBC has been granted millions of dollars in funding and has partnered with the governments of B.C. and Canada to support hundreds of projects throughout B.C. to date.

FESBC would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Forests.