Fire and Rescue

West Kelowna Fire Rescue is dedicated to providing emergency response, fire prevention and protection and rescue services for City of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation residents. The department partners with fire/rescue services in other jurisdictions when needed to deal with regional, provincial and national emergencies.

9-1-1 Emergencies and Emergency Response

Call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency or if you see smoke.

In the event of a forest fire or natural disaster go to cordemergency.ca for information on evacuation alerts and orders, emergency reception centre locations, and other important details including how to safely return to your home after a flood or wildfire.

Bylaws

Four primary bylaws relate to West Kelowna Fire Rescue operations and regulate such things as burning, campfires, fees and charges, fire hydrants, fireworks and nuisance smoke:

Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 2010, No. 0093
City of West Kelowna Ticket Information Utilization Bylaw No. 0095
City of West Kelowna Fire Rescue Establishment and Operations Bylaw 2010 No. 0114
Smoke Control Regulatory Bylaw No. 773

Visit the bylaw page for a complete list of West Kelowna bylaws.

Campfires, Fire Pits, Fireworks and Open Burning

Burning Permits/Open Burning

Starting October 1, open burning permits will be available for eligible West Kelowna property owners.

Permits are required during open burning season and only issued for properties greater than one hectare, under specific conditions including suitable air quality and adequate venting. Open burning season is typically from October 1 to April 30, but local fire chiefs may shorten the season in the interest of public health and safety.

To obtain a burning permit, call:

778-797-3200 Ext. 1
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (excluding holidays), closed noon to 1 p.m.

Check today's Air Quality/Venting conditions.

Campfires

Campfire information for West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation fire protection areas.

For immediate release: from the Regional District of Central Okanagan

Monday, Sept. 20, 2021

Effective immediately, the ban on campfires has been lifted in most Central Okanagan areas. Campfires are not permitted at any time within the City of Kelowna.

The ban on campfires within most local government fire jurisdictions in the Central Okanagan has been in place since June 30. Recent showers and cooler, seasonal temperatures have lowered the potential fire threat to moderate.

With appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of a fire, campfires are once again allowed within the Regional District of Central Okanagan fire protection areas (Ellison, Joe Rich, North Westside, Wilson’s Landing), the City of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation, District of Lake Country and District of Peachland. Anyone having a campfire must ensure the fire is attended at all times, have tools on hand to contain the fire and make sure it is fully extinguished.

All smoking materials should be carefully extinguished and motorists are reminded not to throw cigarettes or other smoking materials from their vehicle. As well, smoking is not allowed in any RDCO regional park or municipal park. Smoking is also prohibited in children’s play areas, sports fields, undeveloped parks and wilderness trails in the District of Peachland.

Please remember that fireworks are not allowed at any time in most areas of the Central Okanagan. Use of fireworks in the District of Lake Country and City of West Kelowna must be approved in writing by the Fire Chief.

Fireworks

Fireworks - only professional public displays are permitted once a license has been obtained from the Fire Chief.

Firefighter Recruitment - Career

Firefighting is a challenging and demanding occupation. Firefighters must respond
quickly and work effectively as part of a vital team.

Career Firefighting Requirements

Minimum Qualifications at time of application:

Valid BC Class 3 Driver’s Licence with Air Brake endorsement (or equivalent from another province)
18 years of age or older
Able to swim and physically perform the work
Current First Aid certificate with at least seven (7) hours of instruction
IFSAC or Pro Board Accredited NFPA 1001 – Fire Fighting Practices Level I and II Program including NFPA 472 Hazardous Materials Operations
Legally entitled to work in Canada
No criminal record
Medical testing requirements (including vision and hearing) are based upon the NFPA 1582 standard with a restriction placed upon candidates with Category A medical conditions as defined in appendix G, NFPA 1582, Chapter 6, article 6.2.2

Preferred qualifications/skills are:

Job related certification:

NFPA 1002 Standard for Apparatus Driver/Operator Professional
NFPA 1006 Vehicle, Rope, Surface Water, Confined Space, Ice Rescue
NFPA Fire Inspector Level I
NFPA Fire and Life Safety Educator Level I
Fire Service Instructor I
Fire Systems Technical training
First Medical Responder 3 or Emergency Medical Responder

Experience in the mechanical/construction trades
Medical Emergency Response experience
Operation of heavy equipment is an asset
Volunteer and/or career firefighting experience
Post-secondary education
Courageous, forthright and works well under pressure
Strong team player
Comfortable being in confined spaces and heights
Work despite physical discomfort in dangerous and unpleasant situations
Demonstrate professionalism
Can take calculated risks to help others in need
Fire prevention and public education experience

Check careers.westkelownacity.ca for available recruitment opportunities.

Firefighter Recruitment - Paid on Call

Paid On Call Firefighting Requirements

Minimum requirements at time of application are:

Resident of the City of West Kelowna or Westbank First Nation Tsinstikeptum 9 or 10
Valid BC Driver's Licence, with no more than 6 points and no prohibitions or suspensions in the past 3 years
Clear criminal record
Doctor's consent to participate in physical fitness testing

The Paid On-Call recruit training program is an 18 month process comprised of four hours on Tuesday evenings and one mandatory weekend per month. The training is designed to give the necessary skills to be a Paid On-Call member with West Kelowna Fire Rescue. Training topics will cover Emergency Medical First Responder 3 with AED and Spinal, NFPA 1001, S100/S130 Wildland Firefighter and JIBC Live Fire 1.

Open Burning and Regional Air Quality Program

Our community cares about clean air. Outdoor burning regulations provide residents greater protection from the impact of concentrated smoke.

To learn more about outdoor burning regulations, please visit the Regional Air Quality website.

If you have questions or require more information, please contact the Regional Air Quality Program via email or by phone at 250-469-8408.

Wildfire Danger Rating

For the current rating, see the BC Wildfire Service's West Kelowna Fire Danger Rating. Fire danger ratings can change significantly during fire season, from approximately May to October.

To learn more about wildfire response in British Columbia, including a list of active fires, official danger ratings throughout the province and how to prevent forest and grass fires, please visit BC Wildfire.