Ask West Kelowna
What's New
West Kelowna Fire Rescue is kicking off their 25th Annual Holiday Food Drive in support of the Central Okanagan Food Bank. Firefighters and staff are asking the Greater Westside to join them in giving during this year’s campaign. Learn more here.
WKFR 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 also partners with fire and rescue services in other jurisdictions to help with regional, provincial and national emergencies, when required.
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Emergencies and wildfire preparedness |
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Call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency or if you see smoke or a fire. In the event of a wildfire or natural disaster, visit 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. Additional resources:
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Fire Danger Rating |
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Fire danger ratings can change significantly during fire season. See West Kelowna's current rating. 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, visit BC Wildfire. |
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Campfires, fire pits, fireworks and open burning |
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Campfires Effective September 14, 2022, campfires are permitted within the City of West Kelowna. Anyone having a campfire must:
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 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. Campfires are not permitted at any time within the City of Kelowna. Read the full news release for more details. Only professional public displays are permitted once a license has been obtained from the Fire Chief. Open burning permits As of Oct. 28, 2022, open burning permits are available for eligible property owners. Learn more about how to obtain a permit. 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:
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Regional Air Quality Program |
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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. |
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Firefighter Recruitment - Career |
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Looking for a challenging and rewarding career with West Kelowna Fire Rescue? For available recruitment opportunities, visit careers.westkelownacity.ca. |
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Firefighter Recruitment - Paid On-Call |
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In support of career firefighters, Paid On-Call firefighters are professionals who demonstrate a willingness to help, work well as part of a team and are dedicated members of the community. Previous firefighting experience is not required. Minimum requirements at time of application are:
The Paid On-Call training program is an nine month process comprised of training on weekday evenings and weekends. 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 and 2 and HAZMAT Ops. After successful completion of testing and training, you will earn your professional qualification and be assigned to one of our two Paid On-Call stations based on where you live. You will be required to attend a minimum of 30% of all calls, at least 75% of weekly training and complete a six month probationary period. Check careers.westkelownacity.ca for available opportunities. |
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Fire House #30 |
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On Feb. 1, 2022, the City acquired a residential property at 2406 Drought Road, which is slated to be the future home of Fire House #30. This move will centralize WKFR administration from Fire Hall #32 and other satellite locations to Fire House #30.
Once operational, the office will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday - Friday. Community members can come to Fire House #30 for:
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| Bylaws |
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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:
Visit the bylaw page for a complete list of West Kelowna bylaws. |
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