Cowichan Bay Volunteer Fire Rescue

10/20/2026

Thanks to a vigilant dog walker who spotted a small brush fire near Bright Angel Park this morning and quickly reported it to 911!

The fire was slow-growing but had burned deep into the roots and surrounding old-growth vegetation, making it more challenging to fully extinguish.

Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue crews were able to bring the fire under control and extinguish it before it could spread further.

🍂 Surprisingly, despite the recent cooler weather and rain, our local forests remain quite dry in places. Fires can continue to smoulder deep within roots and forest debris, even when the surface appears damp.

👏 A big thank you to the alert member of the public who spotted the fire and reported it using a neighbours house phone. Your quick action helped prevent what could have become a much larger incident.

Stay safe!

🚒 Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue

10/05/2026

🔥 FIRE PREVENTION WEEK — OCTOBER 4–10, 2026 🔥

This week, Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue is joining fire departments across Canada in recognizing Fire Prevention Week.

This year’s theme is:

⚡ “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging is a Superpower™” ⚡

Lithium-ion batteries power many of the devices we use every day — phones, tablets, laptops, e-bikes, power tools and more. When damaged, improperly charged or used with the wrong equipment, these batteries can create a serious fire hazard.

A few simple steps can help keep your home and family safe:

🔋 Use the charging cord and equipment designed for your device.
🔌 Plug chargers directly into an appropriate electrical outlet.
🔥 Keep batteries and charging devices away from combustible materials.
🛏️ Never charge devices under pillows, blankets or on beds and couches.
⚠️ Stop using a battery if it becomes unusually hot, swells, changes shape, leaks or produces an unusual smell.
♻️ Never place lithium-ion batteries in household garbage or recycling — use an approved battery recycling location.

Fire prevention starts with the choices we make every day. Take a few minutes this week to look around your home, check how your devices are being charged, test your smoke alarms and make sure everyone in your household knows how to get out safely in an emergency.

🚒 Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue — Working together to keep our community fire safe.

09/29/2026

🚒 Marina Fire Safety Training Exercise 🚒

Last night, members of Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue took part in a joint emergency response training exercise at Fishermen’s Wharf alongside Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue – Station 34 Cowichan Bay and Cowichan Tribes Emergency Services.

The exercise provided our members with an opportunity to train in the unique challenges associated with a fire or emergency on the waterfront. Crews worked through a simulated fire scenario where a section of the dock became cut off, requiring firefighters to adapt their response and coordinate with our marine emergency partners.

The scenario also included a simulated medical emergency, requiring responders to coordinate patient care, movement and transportation while fire suppression operations were underway.

Exercises like this are extremely valuable. Emergencies on docks and waterfront properties can present significant challenges, including limited access, water hazards, difficult patient removal and the potential for crews to become isolated from normal access routes. Training together allows our agencies to practise communications, coordination and interoperability before a real emergency occurs.

A big thank you to Ed at Fishermen’s Wharf, Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue – Station 34 Cowichan Bay, Cowichan Tribes Emergency Services, the local businesses and community members for supporting the exercise.

And thank you to everyone who respected the temporary closure of the wharf and allowed our crews the space needed to train safely.

Working together and training together helps ensure we are ready when our community needs us most. 🚒🚤⚕️

09/26/2026

🚒 Community Safety Expo 2026 🚒

Today, members of Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue attended the 3rd Annual North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP Community Safety Expo.

Our members helped with the Fire Prevention portion of the Fire Safety House, engaging with young children and helping them learn important fire and life-safety skills.

Throughout the day, kids learned about:
🔥 Fire safety in and around the home
📞 How and when to call 9-1-1
🚨 The importance of working smoke alarms
🏠 How to recognize hazards and stay safe at home

Events like this are a great opportunity to connect with families in our community and help build strong fire-safety habits from a young age.

Thank you to the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP for hosting another great Community Safety Expo and for inviting us to be part of it!

09/18/2026

🚒 GET READY TO SUIT UP — COWICHAN BAY FIRE RESCUE IS RECRUITING! 🚒

Have you been thinking about becoming a Paid On-Call Firefighter with Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue? Now is the time to apply!

We’re recruiting for our next firefighter training class, beginning January 4, 2027, and applications close October 26, 2026.

No previous firefighting experience is required. We provide the training, equipment, and support you need to develop the skills required to become a trained firefighter.

Joining Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue is a great opportunity to give back to your community, learn valuable and potentially life-saving skills, challenge yourself, and become part of a dedicated team.

Our Paid On-Call firefighters receive hourly pay for attending emergency calls, training, and other approved department activities. Members also have access to a number of valuable training and wellness opportunities, including:

Access to our in-house Wellness Centre
EMA First Responder training
NFPA firefighter certification
Class 3 Driver’s Licence training
Air Brake Endorsement training
Ongoing professional development and specialized fire service training

Important recruitment dates:

🔥 Application Deadline — October 26
🚒 Panel Interviews — November 2
💪 Recruit Assessment — November 16
👨‍🚒 Recruit Class Orientation — November 30
📅 Recruit Class Begins — January 4, 2027

Being a firefighter takes commitment, teamwork, and a willingness to learn — but it also provides training, experience, friendships, and the opportunity to make a real difference in the community you call home.

👉 Apply now at www.cbvfr.com/recruiting

Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue — Serve Your Community. Join Our Team.

09/11/2026

Today marks 25 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

We pause to remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day, including the 343 FDNY firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while answering the call to help others.

We also remember the police officers, paramedics, emergency workers, military personnel, volunteers, and countless others who responded in the hours, days, weeks, and months that followed. Many continued to suffer the effects of their service long after the smoke cleared.

For those of us in the fire service, September 11 remains a powerful reminder of courage, service, sacrifice, and the bond shared by first responders everywhere.

Today, we honour those who never came home, those who continue to carry the impacts of that day, and the families whose lives were forever changed.

We will never forget.

🇨🇦 🇺🇸
#343

09/11/2026

🚒 Rural Property Owners – Did You Know?

Are you located within the Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue fire protection area? Does your homeowner’s insurance indicate that your property is not protected by fire hydrants?

Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue is an accredited Superior Tanker Shuttle Service (STSS) fire department.

This accreditation recognizes our ability to provide a reliable water supply to rural areas without hydrants by transporting and continuously shuttling water to a fire scene using our fire apparatus.

🏠 What could this mean for you?

Rural property owners within our accredited protection area may qualify for reduced fire-related insurance premiums, depending on their insurance provider and property location.

If your insurance currently lists your property as being outside a hydrant-protected area, it may be worth contacting your insurance provider and asking whether our Superior Tanker Shuttle Service accreditation affects your rating.

👉 Visit our website to learn more about our STSS accreditation, whether your property is within the applicable area, and how it may benefit you.

CurrentGeneral InformationBylawsArchiveRFQ 2026 Monthly Minutes: 01-2026-CBID-General-Meeting (January 21, 2026) 02-2026-CBID-General- Meeting (February 19, 2026) 03-2026-CBID- General-Meeting ( March 18, 2026) 04-2026-CBID-General-Meeting (April 15, 2026) 05-2026-CBID- General-Meeting (May 21, 2026...

09/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in our Special General Meeting regarding the proposed replacement of Tender 42.

A total of 70 registered voters participated in the meeting:

• 67 ballots were cast
• 3 ballots were issued but not cast
• 52 voted in favour
• 15 voted opposed

The final result was 77.6% in favour and 22.4% opposed.

The proposal to proceed with the replacement of Tender 42 was therefore supported by the landowners of the Cowichan Bay Improvement District.

We sincerely appreciate everyone who took the time to attend, ask questions, review the information presented, and participate in this important decision regarding the future of fire protection in our community.

Replacing Tender 42 is an important investment in maintaining reliable emergency response, rural water supply, and the equipment our firefighters depend on to protect our community.

Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue and the Cowichan Bay Improvement District will now move forward with the next steps in the replacement process.

Thank you for your continued support of Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue and the members who serve our community.

09/04/2026

🚒 Early Morning Fire – Bench Road

At approximately 5:45 a.m. this morning, Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue responded to a large outdoor fire in the 4700 block of Bench Road.

Residents throughout the area may have noticed a significant column of dark black smoke, which was visible from as far away as the Cherry Point Road area. The heavy smoke was largely due to tires and other materials involved in the fire. The exact cause and circumstances surrounding ignition remain under investigation.

Crews were able to quickly bring the fire under control and prevent further spread, with assistance from Mill Bay Fire Rescue.

Thank you as well to residents in the area for giving emergency crews the space needed to work safely.