South Okanagan residents demand answers from regional district following fire chief departures

About two dozen residents living in rural communities in B.C.'s South Okanagan rallied Thursday to demand answers from the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) over the loss of multiple fire chiefs in their region.

South Okanagan residents demand answers from regional district following fire chief departures Regional district says departures aren't linked, resident safety still a priority About two dozen residents living in rural communities in B.C.'s South Okanagan rallied Thursday to demand answers from the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) after the loss of multiple fire chiefs. Residents are upset by the departures and unfilled vacancies in four communities, and are worried about what it could mean for their safety during what officials are expecting to be a challenging fire season. "I think we should have some form of explanation for what the heck is going on," said Glenn Coutts, one of the people to show up outside the regional district's office in Penticton.

He said he had a hard time buying that it was a coincidence that multiple chiefs — who hold paid positions overseeing volunteer fire departments in rural communities — had left their positions in some form or another over the matter of a few weeks. But RDOS spokesperson Erik Thompson told the crowd there is "no underlying hidden agenda." "These are individual situations that are being managed separately," he said.

Among those individual situations are the chief of the Kaleden Fire Department being paced on paid administrative leave pending a review, and the departure of the Naramata fire chief, in what is being described by the district as an HR issue. No further details on either situation are being released. Additionally, the regional district has recently opted to not replace the retired Keremeos fire chief, instead bringing the local fire department under the command of the manager of regional fire services — a newly created position.

Erratic winds, threat of lightning make Boston Bar firefighting efforts challenging, wildfire service says Evacuation alert issued for parts of Pemberton due to Signal Hill wildfire There is also no permanent chief in place in Okanagan Falls, the district says, because it is in the process of becoming a municipality and the chief's position should be filled by the new mayor and council, once they are elected. For Joel Kastor, a volunteer firefighter in Kaleden, it's an upsetting situation. "RDOS appears to systematically be removing chiefs and leading personnel from their departments ... with the idea that they're going to replace them with a regional chief or administrative jobs," he said.

Hugh Winter, another Kaleden resident, said he is worried about what the loss of local leaders means for locals' safety. "This is the middle of fire season and it's dry as a bone out there," he said. "There are years of experience that we've just allowed to walk out the door, here, or be sent out the door.

In my view, that's not right." In a statement, the RDOS assured residents that it continues to provide emergency response both through its own fire departments, the B.C. Wildfire Service and mutual aid agreements with neighbouring communities. "When people suggest that anything ... going on, administratively, could impact the ability of those fire departments to respond to emergencies, I just feel that they need to take a look at the people who are in place to do those jobs and the support that is available to them," Thompson told the crowd.

With files from Tiffany Goodwein