Last fall, the BCGEU announced the establishment of the Wildfire Sector Council as the Union's next step in addressing feedback from wildfire union members about how challenging it can be for wildfire members to participate in, and contribute to, many aspects of union business due to the nature of our work and timing of fire response season.

The establishment of the Wildfire Sector Council also recognizes that the workplace issues faced by BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) members are highly unique to our profession and are not always shared by members across the three union components (6, 12, and 20) that make up BCWS.

What is the Wildfire Sector Council?

The Wildfire Sector Council is designed to advance more meaningful progress on identifying issues, sharing information, and coordinating internal decision-making for members. Its purpose is to provide a structure that better integrates the priorities and concerns of BCWS members across all regions and all three union components.

Who is the Sector Council?

The Sector Council is made up of elected BCGEU members from across the province who work for the BCWS as well as appointed component executive members that may sit by right, that also work for BCWS. Elected seats were allotted under the following parameters -there will be one elected member per region (i.e., per Fire Centre) and additional seats allocated on a per capita basis.

Elected by you:

Table Officer group

• Chair: Sebastian Kallos (Comp 20)
• Vice Chair: Dimitri Vaisius (Comp 20)
• Secretary: Hannah Kitchin (Comp 12)
• BCGEU Staff Rep: Kelly Hutchinson

Headquarters

• Mikhail Elsay (Comp 20)
• Jessa Barber (Comp 20)

Coastal Fire Centre

• Dimitri Vaisius (Comp 20)
• Adam Kral (Comp 20)

Southeast Fire Centre

• Danny Larsen (Comp 20)
• Adam Marsel (Comp 20)

Kamloops Fire Centre

• Brad Litke (Comp 20)
• Jonny Baggio (Comp 20)
• Nicole Bonnett (Comp 12)

Cariboo Fire Centre

• Jon McCuaig (Comp 20)
• Matt Duran (Comp 20)

Prince George Fire Centre

• Wayne Desmond (Comp 20)
• Sandy Johnston (Comp 20)

Northwest Fire Centre

• Hannah Kitchin (Comp 12)
• Kathryn Shiach (Comp 20)

Component Executive Members:

Northwest Fire Centre

• Kaitlyn Bailey (Comp 6) *appointed by Comp 6 VP to meet minimum component representation requirement.
• Lisa Brise (Comp 20) - Local Chair: 2012

Prince George Fire Centre

• Ben Bouchut (Comp 20) - Local Chair: 2010
• Mike Eadie (Comp 20) - Local Chair: 2011

Cariboo Fire Centre

• Kara Galbraith (Comp 20) - Local Chair: 2006

Kamloops Fire Centre

• Emma Camicioli (Comp 20) - Local Chair: 2005

Coastal Fire Centre

• Sebastian Kallos (Comp 20) - Local Chair: 2003

 Southeast Fire Centre

• Dan Moe (Comp 20) - Local Chair: 2008

What has the Wildfire Sector Council been up to?

To date the Sector Council has held four meetings over the course of the year. We have used this time to begin establishing the internal structure of the council.

This has included internal elections to establish the Table Officer group (Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary). Sebastian Kallos, Dimitri Vaisius and Hannah Kitchin respectively, were the successful nominees appointed to these roles.

To set the council up for success, we have also established several subcommittees to work on initiatives that have been ongoing challenges for BCWS members. These subcommittees include OHS, Political Action, Communications, Governance, Job Classification, and the Article 29.

Beyond the internal work that the Sector Council has been doing. Several members of the council were able to participate in the BC Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial at the BC Legislature in Victoria on March 3, alongside BCGEU President Paul Finch and a group of BCGEU wildland fire fighters.

This was the first time our union was invited to join the ceremony organized by the BC Professional Fire Fighters, bringing wildland firefighters together with municipal fire fighters from across the province. Our members were proud to march with Devyn Gale's family. We will always remember her sacrifice. 

Please stay tuned for a more detailed update from the Sector Council, coming to your inbox the week of Nov 24^th. This update will include more about the work the subcommittees are up to, address some issues we know are out there, and include a solicitation for input into the Sector Council work.

Don't hesitate to reach out to your local sector council representative for more information!
 

Sincerely,
BCGEU Wildfire Sector Council Chair
Sebastian Kallos

UWU/MoveUP