BCWS Boot Camp outside of Merritt (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

WILDFIRE SEASON 2024

BC Wildfire’s newest recruits get put through their paces at boot camp near Merritt

Apr 29, 2024 | 5:30 PM

MERRITT B.C. — As the province of B.C. enters a new wildfire season with 110 active fires currently burning, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) is gearing up to supplement their ranks with 250 new recruits. Over the past month the new recruits have been put through boot camp both in Merritt and Prince George to prepare for life on the fire line this summer.

A real world scenario welcomed more than 50 new BCWS recruits to the mountains above Merritt on Monday (April 29) afternoon.

“It’s kind of getting your foot in the door and seeing what it is like. My kilo crew there has been working hard all day, all week, it’s awesome grinding beside them and learning what this job is all about,” said new recruit Gavin Rauser.

Despite the snow falling from the sky, the spot fires simulated a scenario the new recruits could very well see on day one with BCWS. The recruits split up into initial attack crews to build a guard and run hose to contain the blazes.

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“This was a great day, this was really fun,” said new recruit Dante Orion Cimolia. “Honestly it is really hard work, and we are pushing it the whole time, but when you get in those action scenarios you kind of forget about everything and you are focused on one thing, safety and getting those fires out.”

Monday served as the final field day for the firefighters, with boot camp wrapping up on Tuesday following a written exam.

“We brought everything back to trying to do as much field work as possible this week and building the culture and what crews can expect when they get to their locations over the summer,” said BCWS Manager of Organizational Development Kyle Young. “It’s six days of field, fitness, all kinds of different things to build that team culture and get them ready for the season.”

Eleven years after completing boot camp herself, Initial Attack Crew Supervisor Kara Galbraith has gone full circle, returning as an instructor.

“Being on this side it all starts making sense now,” said Galbraith. “As a new recruit you kind of question the type of things that we learn. But now being on this side of it it just makes a lot of sense and just building the foundation to be a good firefighter.”

Whether it was simply a desire to help, or even in their blood.

“Of course I want to end up on base with my brother some day,” said Cimolia, whose older brother has spent more than 10 years with BCWS. “He’s in a really competitive zone, so realistically I’m going to make that my first choice – the southeast – to try and end up near him. But if that doesn’t happen, my second choice is the northwest. Go put in my time up north and transfer when I get the chance.”

After years of smoke filled summers, to a man, the new recruits simply spoke to being part of helping the province they call home.

“Just seeing over the past few years wildfire exponentially getting worse and worse. I come from a family of loggers, every summer we kind of set shutdown, it’s kind of full circle to try and give back and try to put those fires out,” said Rauser.

As boot camp wraps up this week the 50 plus new recruits will be assigned to unit crews and initial attack crews through the province’s five fire centres.