B.C. Wildfire Service is seeing record application numbers ahead of the 2025 wildfire season.
Since October 2024, the organization has received more than 1,700 applications 香蕉视频直播� the highest recorded number of applications ever received, according to a news release Thursday (March 20). January also saw the largest number ever received in a single month, with 578 applications.
The province says it's now ramping up its wildfire preparedness for 2025, welcoming back experienced wildland firefighters and training a new wave of recruits.
B.C. Wildfire Service says a dedicated training and recruitment model for First Nations communities is expanding this spring to build local capacity, strengthen relationships between First Nations and the local fire centre, improve wildfire response and address needs hear from communities.
First Nations boot camps are set to start in April 2025 in several fire centres, along with new-recruit boot camps at the Merritt training facility. Successful candidates will then be offered positions at the six fire centres throughout the province.
Forests Minister Ravi Parmar was in Merritt and toured the Merritt Fire Zone training facility.
"Wildfire prevention is about more than stopping new fires - it's about working together with our partners and communities to reduce wildfire risk," Parmar said. "The BC Wildfire Service has already had a busy start to 2025, supporting our neighbours in California as they dealt with devastating wildfires. This was an invaluable opportunity to collaborate on our shared work and prepare for our own wildfire season in B.C."
The 2024 wildfire season is the , with more than one million hectares burned. There were 51 evacuation orders and 112 evacuation alerts.
