B.C. government slapped with $750K+ fine over incidents, including wildland firefighter’s fatal rollover near Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Two years after an incident that left a firefighter dead near Fort St. John, WorkSafeBC has fined the provincial government and the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) is calling for change.

The agency has listed a $759,368.84 penalty dated September 25th, 2025 issued to the government after it investigated two incidents involving wildfire suppression.

According to a press release from the BCGEU, both incidents took place during the 2023 wildfire season. 

One incident — a rollover crash of a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) — caused the death of firefighter Zak Muise and injured his supervisor.

WorkSafeBC’s summary says Muise and his supervisor were riding aboard the UTV near Fort St. John when it went over a steep embankment.

According to the agency, neither of the two were wearing helmets, one hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt and the UTV’s passenger-side retention netting was damaged.

“In addition, inadequate supervision, a lack of safe work procedures and training for operating the UTV and a lack of a pre-use inspection of the UTV all contributed to the incident,” the summary reads.

Meanwhile, the second incident described in the summary saw a crew of five workers get entrapped during a planned ignition and other crews forced to navigate off-road when their escape route was compromised.

“WorkSafeBC determined that a lack of planning, training and communication were all contributing factors, and elements of the employer’s safety program and operations manual had not been followed,” the agency said. 

“The employer failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety, a repeated and high-risk violation.”

Following the details of the penalty being made public, BCGEU released a statement demanding the province take more steps to protect wildland firefighters.

“This decision confirms what our members have been saying for years, that systemic safety issues within the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) are putting workers at risk,” said Paul Finch, BCGEU president. 

“We welcome WorkSafeBC’s direction to bring the employer into compliance with basic health and safety obligations. Every worker deserves to come home safe at the end of the day.”

According to the release, WorkSafeBC’s findings “echo long-standing concerns” union members have raised about inadequate training, supervision and risk assessments by the BCWS. 

It claims BCGEU has urged BCWS multiple times to address factors that undermine worker protection and public safety like high turnover and inconsistent safety practices.

“Wildland firefighters work in some of the harshest and most unpredictable conditions imaginable,” Finch said. 

“Those challenges are made worse when chronic understaffing, poor retention and inadequate training leave new and young workers exposed to unnecessary danger.”

More than 2,000 workers within BCWS are members of BCGEU, including firefighters, logistics officers and support staff.

BCWS fought more than 300 wildfires in the northeast during the 2025 wildfire season, covered by Energeticcity.ca.

Energeticcity.ca contacted BCWS for a statement regarding the penalty and did not immediately receive a response.