Dawson Creek Fire Department releases quarterly fire report

DAWSON CREEK, B.C – The Dawson Creek Fire Department (DCFD) received 531 calls for service this year to date and a total of 228 in the last three months.

June received 68 calls, with numbers rising in July to 84 and slightly dropping to 76 in August.

The DCFD was also inspected a total of 529 times this year to date, 485 of these inspections were conducted in service and 44 of these were done to their business license. 

In-service inspections have seen a gradual increase throughout the quarter. June had 68 inspections, rising to 71 in July and 77 in August. On the other hand, business license inspections have dipped sharply, with nine in June, five in July and only 1 in August.

The DCFD conducted various training exercises throughout these three months, accruing 1,556 hours this year to date. A total of 1,432 of these hours were career training hours and 124 of these were auxiliary training hours. 

Firefighters spent 176 hours on career training in June, 137 hours in July and 217 in August.

The report also highlighted noteworthy events that occurred during the quarter.

For prevention and education, there were a total of 13 events. Most notably, the fire prevention officer created six new pre-incident plans and updated two pre-incident plans to reflect changes.

There were a total of 11 events regarding fire equipment. Most importantly, supplies were taken to Petron Communications in Fort St. John, and a build inspection was conducted on the new fire department pickup. Furthermore, a service technician attended the fire training centre to complete pump tests and maintenance on the two apparatus owned by the Peace River Regional District.

For meetings, there were a total of 17 so far this year. Particularly, the acting chief attended cross-cultural training at the Ovintiv Events Centre. Additionally, the acting chief, deputy chief and the fire prevention officer took part in fire pro 2 training regarding fire reporting to the office of the fire commissioner. 

Regarding operational updates, there were a total of 19 events. Primarily, DCFD sent six firefighters and two apparatus to Tumbler Ridge on June 8th for wildfire support. Firefighters and equipment were returned on June 10th. Moreover, a posting was made for recruitment of paid on-call firefighters through city social media and website.

“2023 continues to be an unprecedented year for wildfires throughout BC. Although campfires are now permitted within the Prince George Fire Center, the Dawson Creek Fire Department continues to educate and warn the public about the potential for fires to get out of control,” read the report. 

For more information on fire prevention and applications, visit the Dawson Creek Fire Rescue website.