British Columbia Wildfire
OVERVIEW
British Columbia’s Wildfire Service (BCWS) has two headquarters, one on the island in Parkville and the other in Kamloops, which is where the Provincial Coordination Centre (PWCC) is also located. Within the province, there are six fire regions, each with a fire centre. The area is then further divided into different fire zones, and in some of those zones there may be a primary and secondary base.
The six fire regions are as follows:
Cariboo Fire Centre (4 Fire Zones)
Coastal Fire Centre (6 Fire Zones)
Kamloops Fire Centre (5 Fire Zones)
Northwest Fire Centre (4 Fire Zones)
Prince George Fire Centre (7 Fire Zones)
Southeast Fire Centre (6 Fire Zones)
Boots on the Ground: For more of a breakdown of the region’s fire zones, locations, and crew resource allocation, click below.
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Bukley (Telkwa & Hazelton) 3 IA Crews, Rangers and Rainmaker Unit Crews
Cassiar (Dease Lake) XXXXX
Nadina (Burns Lake & Houston) 6 IA Crews, Burns Lake Unit Crew
Skeena (Terrace) 3 IA Crews, Firebirds Unit Crew
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Dawson Creek (Ditto & Chetwynd) 3 IA Crews
Fort Nelson (Ditto) 4 IA Crews
Fort St. John (Ditto) 12 Parattack, Rhinos Unit Crew
Mackenzie (Ditto) 8 Parattack, Mack Unit Crew
Prince George (Ditto) 6 IA Crews, Fire Hawk Unit Crew
Robson Valley (Valemont) 3 IA Crews
VanJam (Vanderhoof) 4 IA Crews, Titans Unit Crew
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Central Cariboo (Williams Lake) 12 IA Crews, Vesta Unit Crew
Chilcotin (Alexis Creek) Ravens Unit Crew
100 Mile House (Ditto) Stormriders Unit Crew
Quesnel (Ditto) Blackwater Unit Crew
Add in Map Here for Response Zones
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Arrow (Shoreacres) 7 IA Crews, Sentinel & Valhalla Unit Crews
Boundary (Grand Forks) 3 IA Crews
Columbia (Revelstoke) 5 IA Crews, Columbia & Monashee Unit Crews
Cranbrook (Ditto) 5 IA Crews, Rocky Mountain & Flathead Unit Crews
Invermere (Ditto) 4 IA Crews
Kootney Lake (Nelson) 4 IA Crews
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Kamloops (Ditto & Clearwater) - 8 IA Crews, Big Horns Unit Crew
Lillooet (Ditto & Lyntton) - 5 IA Crews, Seton Lake Thunderstrikes & Lyntton Rattlers Unit Crews
Merritt (Merritt & Princeton) - 4 IA Crews, Fire Devils, Nicola Knights, and Sierra Unit Crews
Penticton (Ditto) - 7 IA Crews
Vernon (Ditto & Salmon Arm) - 3 IA Crews, Fire Stalkers Unit Crew and 10 Rapattack Crews
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Fraser (Hope & Cultus Lake) - 4 IA Crews, Trail Blazers and Fraser Unit Crew
Mid Island (Errington & Port Alberni) - 3 IA Crews, Thunderbird Unit Crew
North Island/Mid-Coast (Quinsam & Bella Bella) - 4 IA Crews
Pemberton (Ditto & Squamish) - 3 IA Crews, Salish and Heatseeker Unit Crews
South Island (Cobble Hill) - 3 IA Crews
Sunshine Coast (Powell River & Sechelt) - 3 IA Crews
1300
Firefighters from Initial Attack, Rapattack, Parattack, and Unit Crew.
1,433
Is the 10-year average of wildfires within the province.
$21.82/hr
Entry-level hourly rate for crew members hired by the province.
Getting Hired
This section is just a brief highlight of what each of the different fire organizations require either before submitting an application, and/or your ability to obtain the necessary requirements prior to employment being offered.
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Tent
Sleeping Pad/Air Mattress
Sleeping Bag (Light Weight)
Rain Suit
Crew Bag For Gear
Special Provisions
This section highlights any additional information applicants are curious about and/or need to know with respect to the individual fire organizations. Please click below to see if any additional support is provided to candidates seeking employment.
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There are limited accommodations provided for no fee or minimal costs and are available in the following locations.
Alexis Creek (Unit Crew)
Chetwyn (Initial Attack)
Fort Nelson (Initial Attack)
Salmon Arm (Rapattack)
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Afraid not.
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At this time, every applicant would need to be a Canadian citizen.
BCWS does not support individual work visas.
2024 Fireline Report
Summary Report
Check out the link below to get free access to this online report, created by BC Wildfire Service summarizing all the activities they undertook during the 2024 Fire Season.