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BCGEU reacts to WCB report on Jordan River fatality - BC General Employees' Union (BCGEU)

Published on August 14, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 14, 2024

BCGEU reacts to WCB report on fatal accident in B.C.Wildfire Service last year

In response to a recent Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) report regarding the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) president Paul Finch released the following statement: 
 
With the release of the redacted WCB report, our thoughts are with the Gale family and colleagues across the province who continue to be deeply impacted by this traumatic event just over a year ago. The systemic issues identified in the report should not be read as criticism of individual firefighters doing their best to protect the province during increasingly difficult wildfire seasons.
 
As the WCB report shows, the BCWS has not met its obligation to ensure the appropriate supervision of safety protocols are in place. Processes like completing dangerous tree assessments and implementing safety training and orientation for new workers have fallen by the wayside due to an inability to retain experienced staff.  
 
The employer’s failure to retain experienced staff means that many workers are put in dangerous situations. There is no substitute for experience fighting wildfires, and the Ministry needs to address the dire retention crisis currently facing BCWS. That starts with the Ministry reversing its current stated position that there is no retention issue among junior to mid level leadership positions, and working to take the appropriate steps to resolve the retention crisis.
 
The BCGEU has been calling on the BCWS to change its culture of normalizing risks; the onus for worker safety cannot be placed on the workers themselves. 
 
To end the retention crisis, the BCWS must take the steps needed to make wildland firefighting a safe and sustainable career, by providing adequate compensation for junior and mid-level leadership roles and ensuring appropriate staffing throughout the season. 
 
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For interviews, please contact Nadja Komnenic, BCGEU Communications at [email protected] or 604-291-9611.