Eby tells BC Wildfire Service to act on failures that led to firefighter’s death

LANGLEY, B.C. – B.C. Premier David Eby says he wants the BC Wildfire Service to enact reforms after a workplace report identified safety failures that led up to the death of a young wildland firefighter last year.

Nineteen-year-old Devyn Gale was killed when a burning tree struck her during firefighting operations northeast of Revelstoke last July.

A WorkSafeBC report says training and supervision by the BC Wildfire Service was ineffective and inadequate, and fellow firefighters had already expressed concern about the tree that killed Gale.

But the investigation that was first reported by the CBC says no assessment was carried out on the tree before it fell.

Eby says it's clear something went "tragically wrong" and he's instructed Forests Minister Bruce Ralston to make sure the wildfire service acts on the failures identified in the report.

He told an unrelated news conference that he's been told "significant changes" have already been made, including ensuring that young firefighters "have the protections they deserve."

“It was very apparent given Devyn’s death that something had gone tragically wrong on the site,” Eby said. “There’s no question that people who sign up for the wildfire service are signing up for an inherently risky and difficult job. But it should never be risky or dangerous because of a lack of training, because a concern that somebody raised about safety wasn't acknowledged in the way that it should have been."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2024.