After six weeks of intensive training, West Kelowna Fire Rescue has now added 10 new firefighters to the roster meaning, for the first time ever, Lakeview Heights Fire Station No. 32 is fully staffed around the clock.
West Kelowna Council’s commitment to public safety included the addition of eight new firefighters to West Kelowna Fire Rescue in 2019. Two other recruits replaced vacancies in the department. Having the new recruits in place now means Westbank Centre Fire Stations No. 31 and 32 can now aggressively attack fires inside of buildings, without waiting for additional crews to arrive. The addition of new firefighters will also dramatically reduce the amount of overtime being worked by firefighters.
New recruits were trained in Technical Rescue, Firefighter Safety and Survival, Medical First Responder, Auto Extrication, Structural and Wildland Firefighting and also participated in the Resilient Minds Mental Health Program. These new recruits have also volunteered their time installing smoke alarms in the community.
The new recruit firefighters will continue their training journey on their assigned shifts in the coming months.