| BC Wildfire Service | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Address: | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Established: | 1912 |
| Strength: | --> |
| Budget: | --> |
| Staffing: | Career |
| Chief: | Ian Meier |
| Divisions: | 4 crew divisions |
| Reference1: | [1] |
| Website: | BC Wildfire Service |
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) is the wildfire suppression service of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is an element of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
For suppression purposes, the BCWS divides the province of British Columbia into six regional fire centres, each of which is responsible for managing wildfire response within its boundaries. These fire centres are in turn divided into local fire zones. Provincial level activities are managed by the Provincial Wildfire Coordinating Centre in Kamloops and the BCWS Headquarters in Victoria.[2]
The BC Wildfire Service employs four types of wildfire suppression crews throughout the province. All BCWS firefighters are classified as Type 1 firefighters.
Once a fire is deemed contained, Type 2 firefighters, also known as contract crews, may be used to "mop-up" and patrol a fire to extinguish any remaining fire activity. All Type 2 firefighters in British Columbia are private contractors retained by the provincial government.[3]
The agency pioneered the use of Automated Flight Following for fire helicopters in the 1980s. BC contracts out aerial firefighting to Conair Group of Abbotsford, British Columbia and Air Spray of Red Deer, Alberta, rather than maintaining its own flight staff and equipment.