Coombs-Hilliers Volunteer Fire Department

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Qualicum Beach, BC
Coombs-Hilliers Volunteer Fire Department

Our Fire dept is made up of volunteer members and 3 career staff. We train every Wednesday night.

05/14/2026

Please join us in congratulating Firefighter Kerri Wilson on completing her NFPA 1001 Fire Fighter 1 & 2 certification.

Many hours of hard work go into completing the 1001 program, and it takes real commitment and dedication to see it through. Well done, Kerri!

05/13/2026

Current and forecast conditions have shifted since the Coastal Fire Centre initially implemented the Category 1 campfire prohibition earlier this May, resulting in cooler temperatures, improved humidity values and an overall reduction in wildfire hazard throughout the region. Because of this, Category 1 campfires will be once again permitted under the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction as of Friday, May 15, 2026, at 12 p.m. (noon).

Although the fire risk has decreased for the region, human-caused wildfires are still possible and entirely preventable. Please take the time to learn how to enjoy a campfire safely: gov.bc.ca/saferburning

Category 2 and 3 open burning and select activities and equipment remain prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre. For full details, please refer to the following information bulletin: https://blog.gov.bc.ca/bcwildfire/campfires-permitted-across-coastal-fire-centre-due-to-decreased-fire-risk/

04/27/2026

We are currently responding to the Rowbotham Lake wildfire (V70149), located approximately four kilometres south of Coombs in the Mid Island Fire Zone. It is estimated at one hectare in size.

Fire behaviour is Rank 2, burning as a low vigour surface fire in fine fuels with some spotting into heavier timber. A combination of unit crew and initial attack personnel are responding along with aerial support from one helicopter and one airtanker group.

Smoke may be visible from the Alberni Highway (Highway 4A), parts of Island Highway (Highway 19) and surrounding communities along with activity from firefighting aircraft. This wildfire does not currently pose a threat to structures, critical infrastructure or public safety.

For further information on this wildfire, please refer to its incident page: https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/incidents?fireYear=2026&incidentNumber=V70149&source=list

Photo credit: Quinn Cunningham

04/23/2026

Last night our senior group of firefighters and 2024 recruits practiced portable pumps during our weekly training night.

These pumps are useful to help supply water to apparatus from remote fillsites like ponds, lakes, rivers, etc. They are also typically used for wildland firefighting.

Big thank you to Long Hoh Mill for allowing us access to their property for our training set up.

03/19/2026

Please help us in welcoming our newest recruit class.

Griffin, Angus, Adam and Justin have been busy working through their first few weeks of training with their instructor Kevin (Pictured in the middle).

Well done, and welcome to the team!

03/05/2026

On March 8th we will celebrate International Women's Day.

We would like to acknowledge the female firefighters on our team.

Thank you for breaking barriers, setting powerful examples, and showing the next generation that leadership, bravery, and service know no limits. We are proud to have such dedicated women protecting and supporting our community.

Happy International Women’s Day, and thank you for everything you do!

(Pictured: FF. Wiersma, DC. Ganderton, LT. Ames, FF. Jones, FF. Greekas, FF. Wilson. Missing: FF. Phillips)

02/26/2026

The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day to es**rt the Wounded Warriors Canada through our area on their way to Port Alberni.

If you see emergency vehicles on the side of Hwy 4, or hear some commotion around 1400hrs, that is what we are up to!

For more information on Wounded Warriors and how to support the cause:
https://woundedwarriors.ca/

02/19/2026

Our crews have been busy lately!!

Some of you may have seen us at the Coombs Fairgrounds for the Family Day Event. It's always a pleasure to see our community at these events.

We've been working away on training every Wednesday evening.
Our newest recruit class is wrapping up their first module of training.
The 2024 recruit class has completed their first level of live fire and has been working on power saws/ventilation.
Our main group has kept busy reviewing ladders and working off of our newest Engine 105.

In addition to our training and community events, we've had a busy start to the year with 34 calls so far..

01/22/2026

There has been a lot happening here at CHVFD this January!

We are excited to welcome new Coombs-Hilliers Fire Chief Enzo Calla who filled the position following the retirement of Ron Schildroth. Fire Chief Calla brings over 30 years of experience in fire services and emergency management, as well as numerous certifications and accreditations.

We are also pleased to share that our new apparatus Engine 105 based out of Station 2 was placed into service last night. The fire engine is custom-built to meet the unique challenges of rural firefighting in our community and replaces the 2004 fire engine which is at the end of its lifecycle.

For more information, see the news release at https://rdn.bc.ca/notice-2026-01-15.

12/22/2025

We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season, and all of the best in 2026!

Address

3241 Alberni Highway
Qualicum Beach, BC

Telephone

+12507522144

Website

https://www.rdn.bc.ca/coombs-hilliers-fire

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