Vancouver Island village suspends firefighting services due to shortage of volunteers

A tiny village on Vancouver Island is working with provincial authorities andthe regional district to find ways to sustain its volunteer-based fire services, almost two weeks after they were suspendeddue to a shortage of trained firefighters.

On Thursday evening, the Village of Zeballos is facilitating a virtual community meeting, together with the Strathcona Regional District, theneighbouringEhattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations, the Office of the Fire Commissioner, and a fire service consultancy to find a solution to ensure firefighting services will not be suspended again in thecommunity.

Zeballos, on the Island'snorthwestern coast,is home to more than120 people. The community is known forecotourism and sports fishing, andhas always relied on a volunteer-run fire department.

In a written announcement last Friday, Zeballos Mayor Julie Colborne said the village council decided on May 27 to temporarily suspend the Village of Zeballos Volunteer Fire Department's firefighting services, because the recent number and training level of volunteer firefighters were so low they raisedconcernsfrom the provincial fire commissioner.

Colborne didn't provide specifics about the firefighting staff ortheir training, and did not say when firefighting services will resume.

"The reinstatement of the fire department will depend on obtaining enough volunteers and providing them with adequate training to do the job safely in compliance with WorkSafeBC requirements," she said.

Shealso said the fire chief position hasbeen left vacant, and whileresidents can call 9-1-1 for help asdispatch services have protocols in place, there will be "no response to a fire callout."

Ernie Polsom, director ofFireWise Consulting based in West Kelowna anda former assistant fire commissioner at the Alberta Fire Commissioner's Office,says retaining volunteer firefighters is acommon challenge among small communities across western Canada.

"It's difficult to find people who are willing to make long-term, high-intensity, high-requirement ... volunteer commitments anymore," he said.

"We're all working hard. We're all working lots of hours. It's difficult."

The villagehas askedresidents to check whether they need to report the suspension of firefighting services to their insurers.

Resident Cristina Lepore, whoruns a restaurant in Zeballos, says she is concerned about the impact the suspension may have on her business, and has reported the suspension to her insurer.

"It increases my concern for the safety of our guests and staff," she said.

"It's already quite hard to run a business with the COVID ... and [we] are still not being able to get insurance at a reasonable price."

Shaun Koopman, protective services co-ordinator with the Strathcona Regional District, says the village has made progress recruiting volunteerssince the suspension was announced.

"We have a lot of reasons to have hope for this going forward," he said.