“Gitxsan and Hagwilget fire fighters were the first to graduate from
a new form of fire training in the North thanks to the new Smithers Live
Burn Facility. The group comprised of five fire departments that took part
in the Justice Institute of British Columbia's Fire Fighter 1 Program.

“(A Gitxsan Government Commission Coordinator] said the
program exceeded the latest minimum standard for volunteer fire depart-
ments and met the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 1001 Stan-
dard, which is recognized throughout North America. In addition, he said
that this level of training wouldn't have been available in the past. With the
opening of the new Smithers Live Burn Facility, all of the fire departments
in the North now have access to world-class training at this outstanding
venue.”

Another draw for clients from outside the province is the Division’s
original live burn facility at the Maple Ridge Campus. It’s a clearing in a
forest of Douglas fir that has been logged twice and looks just about ready
for another harvest. It may seem odd to locate a fire fighters’ training centre
where fires are set every working day in the midst of a woodlot.

Taking over the complex, the JIBC immediately invested in upgrading
the training props—the most theatrical of stage props, most notably the
Burn Building, The mockup of a ship’s bridge adds to the otherworldliness
of the complex. The eleven-unit train derailment of tank cars loaded with
toxic chemicals is the most unforgettable, the cylindrical units splayed
down one of the slopes on the hilly property. There’s also a warehouse
mockup, the contents of which are unknown as the flames approach the
mystery substance. And there are intriguing structures that look like petro-
leum plumbing geared to industrial training in refinery fire fighting.

Up the hill from the tank cars is another boneyard, a five-acre field
of wrecked motor vehicles, dozens of them, all sizes, all types, including an
unlucky school bus and a good-looking, if old, fire engine. The Maple Ridge
Campus also has a garage with four other fire trucks. The cars used for auto
extrication are mangled junkers, from which trapped accident victims can
be extricated with the Jaws of Life. Getting the so-called victims into these
heaps may be the trickiest part.

There is a no-nonsense aura to the place. The yard is mostly gravel
underfoot, absorbing and filtering the thousands of litres of water sprayed
from hoses during simulations every day. This water is metered and recy-
cled to save wastage. Single-storey plastic shiplap office and dorm build-
ings, in these surroundings, look almost luxurious. Seen from above, the
frenzied activity and the field of twisted cars, the almost ongoing fires in the
Burn Building and improvised fire sites might remind an observer of a war
zone. There's even a crashed twin-engine airplane whose pilot mannequin
can be seen hung up on a branch nearby.

When the JIBC leased the Maple Ridge property from the provincial

contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) portion
of the recruit training and the JI asked us to come
back to instruct other recruit classes | moved on
to hose and appliance training and then to ex-
tinguishers and eventually into live fire training,
which is what | enjoyed and did the most of. | felt
like | could really contribute to the students’ over-
all training, and they seemed to get a lot out of it.
You're instructing those who want to be there,
especially in the recruit program because you
have twenty people just hanging on everything
that you say, and it's very rewarding. Today. our
department might have the second-highest per-
capita number of staff who work at the Fire Acad-
emy as adjunct instructors.

“Until | was appointed Fire Chief in
2003, | continued my academic education and
eventually received my bacheloi degree in Justice
and Public Safety Leadership through a partner-
ship between Simon Fraser University and the JI.

“The Fire and Safety Division's pre-em-
ployment program is geared to training students
in the basic necessary skills for a career in the fire
service before they land a fire fighting position.
V‘hen somebody comes in and asks me what
they should do to get into the fire service in B.C.,
| always say, ‘I think you're getting a better bang
for your buck if you go the JI route’

“| found the JI Advisory Board work in-
teresting—not only were you discussing current
practical and academic standards as it relates to
the students or fire service, you were also assist-
ing in mapping out the future direction of the JI in
the area of training, almost like doing a strategic
plan.”