02/13/2025
Good morning,
Please know that the BVFD is currently working on ensuring fire services are available to all community members as soon as possible. It is true that the BVFD currently does not have adequate liability insurance under the BCA to respond to any call outs at the moment. As stated in this post, it was discovered during the process of forming our own society that this insurance was never in place. Thankfully we have never needed it however we live in the age of insurance and liability and this is a must moving forward.
Our fire department attended a meeting with the RDCK and BCA where this info came to light and we have tried to look at ways to ensure this would not be the case however, until we form our own separate society we cannot get this much needed insurance. We hope to have this in place by the end of the month but this in not a definitive timeline. The BVFD is doing everything in our power to make sure this happens as quick as possible. In the meantime, please take extra precautions. Things that individuals can do at the moment to help protect their residences are: ensuring your chimneys are clean, not plugging in space heaters in to extension cords (plug directly into the wall), and not having any materials around such heaters. The fire department has Chimney bombs available to anyone free of charge in the event of a chimney fire. Please let us know if you are in need.
Let’s be thankful that this information was discovered now in the middle of winter and that we were not in this situation during the upcoming wildfire season.
Operating a fire service is expensive. Insurance, equipment maintenance etc all have substantial costs associated. As we have been directed to become our own society this leaves us in a vulnerable place with no current funding in place at the moment. We are diligently working on looking into ways to ensure that moving forward, we can afford to keep a fire service operational in this community. We constantly apply for grants and fundraise to assist in this. The RDCK and the BCA are working with the BVFD in looking at ways to assist in this regard.
In this transition period, the Fire Department has requested from the BCA a donation to ensure we can operate moving into the upcoming fire season. This will be presented on and voted by community members at the BCA AGM. It is imperative that all who see value in having the security that a group of dedicated community members are standing ready to be the initial attack for any upcoming fire really need to attend this AGM and show your support in this decision. Essentially, it is up to you!
Once again, please know that this group of volunteer community members are working urgently to rectify this situation. This takes a lot of time, commitment and money. We thank the community for your support over the years and hope to continue serving Burton and the surrounding area into the future. We will keep you all updated as we go through this process. Once we have our society created and are able to, acquiring the much needed insurance to operate will be our first priority!
