BC gov’t fined $760,000 for fatal wildfire ATV crash and crew entrapped by fire

The BC government has been fined $760,000 for two incidents that took place during the 2023 wildfire season, one where a 25-year-old firefighter was killed in a quad bike crash.

The other incident involved a group of Brazilian firefighters who were surrounded by flames while fighting a wildfire in the Shuswap.

WorkSafeBC handed out the $759,368 fine, giving scant details in a recently published Sept. 25 penalty notice.

The provincial safety agency said the quad bike crash happened when two riders, including a supervisor, went over a steep embankment, killing the 25-year-old.

“WorkSafeBC determined that neither worker was wearing a helmet, the passenger had not been using a seatbelt, and the passenger-side retention netting had been damaged,” WorkSafeBC said in the penal notice. “In addition, inadequate supervision, a lack of safe work procedures and training for operating the UTV, and a lack of a pre-use inspection of the UTV all contributed to the incident.”

The second aspect of the fine was for an incident where five Brazilian firefighters became entrapped when battling a fire near Scotch Creek.

“Despite repeated radio calls to the crew, there was no effective communication. An interpreter was relaying messages to the crew the best they could. The (pilot) was trying to convince the crew to hike out but they appeared to not be moving, which caused increasing strain on the (pilot) due to their inability to support his crew,” an earlier BC Wildfire Service report said.

“WorkSafeBC determined that a lack of planning, training, and communication were all contributing factors, and elements of the employer’s safety program and operations manual had not been followed,” the penalty notice reads.

WorkSafeBC goes on to say that it failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety.

The safety agency says it was a “repeated and high-risk violation.”