There are six fire departments on the Sunshine Coast. Four are funded and operated by the SCRD (Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Halfmoon Bay, and Egmont) and two are independent fire improvement districts (Sechelt and Pender Harbour). The fire improvement districts set their own budgets and tax levies and are not answerable to local government.
The vast majority of fire departments in Canada are volunteer, but the nature of their role has been changing rapidly. Some of the pressures on them include:
- escalating requirements, e.g. far more training, higher standards, and more administration
- increasing number of calls, especially non-fire calls (e.g. medical and road accidents)
- aging out of a generation of firefighters
- soaring cost of living that make it less affordable to volunteer, and to take time away from the workplace
Calls for service from the Gibsons fire department have almost doubled in the last ten years. In the same period of time the population increased by about 10%.
Most of our ‘volunteers’ receive some small compensation, although far short of the value they provide. Gibsons firefighters are currently paid for training, and are covered by Worksafe and extended health benefits.
Many fire services across BC are transitioning to “paid on call”, which means pay for callouts. In 2023 the North Cowichan firefighters voted to join CUPE, which has added pressure to calls for increased compensation.
In 2024, the SCRD engaged a professional consultant to talk to our firefighters, evaluate the local situation, and make recommendations. A detailed report was provided to the board in November.
Each of our four fire departments is quite different, but it was recommended that we compensate firefighters on a consistent model, based on their qualifications and training. There are still details to work out, but the board voted to move to paid on call as of August 1, 2025. The cost to Area E residents will be in the range of $6.25 per $100,000 in assessed value of your property. Read Coast Reporter Article
While I’m not a big fan of taxes based on property value rather than income, this is one instance where tying the cost of fire service to the value of your home makes complete sense. You pay for your insurance that way, too. And if we don’t fund top notch fire protection, we will pay more for insurance—probably much more. As we watch wildfires devastate Los Angeles, it’s worth reflecting on just how vital a strong fire service is.
This paid on call model will also have an effect on the changing culture of firefighting. Rural fire departments used to run a bit like a service club. People volunteered, and those volunteers voted for their officers, including fire chiefs. Therefore, the fire chief was the representative of the whole membership when dealing with local governments.
However, as the responsibilities of fire chiefs have expanded, they have become full time paid staff, and their role has become that of a manager in a workplace. So firefighters need another model of representation, and that’s a work in progress. This transition has its uncomfortable moments, but everyone is doing their best to maintain the high morale and sense of camaraderie that is the tradition of our volunteer firefighters.
We are fortunate to have an outstanding fire service provided by the Gibsons & District Volunteer Fire Department, and we get terrific value for our tax dollars.
Once again, I recommend the Firefighter Compensation Report, which is well written and very informative. I wish every consultant report we received was that clear and coherent.
