In this post election issue we comment on our new federal governments lack of comment on a national wild fire strategy, we offer rave reviews on a WorkSafeBC’s surprisingly dramatic industrial safety video, and we spread a rumour that the U.S. may be considering banning international callouts for fire fighting—stay tuned to see if it is true and then think if we should do the same…
Warning: Some of the contents of this issue refer to political promises and should not be confused with facts.
Trudeau’s 184 Promises Don’t Include Forestry and Wild Fire

WorkSafeBC Emergency Reponse Video Gets Rave Reviews
Industrial safety training videos can be, well, dull. For example it’s not always easy to make hotel housekeeping, or the proper handling of storm sewer grates exciting. But WorkSafeBC’s recently released Every Minute Counts warrants rave reviews. Using the narrative of getting an injured forest worker from the block to an ambulance, the eight minutes-plus video tracks how easily an emergency can go off the tracks. Well acted and nicely paced the drama tactfully lays out how your emergency plans might not go as planned when they run into reality. The video, of course, isn’t a tragedy. They do get to the ambulance. But there is enough doubt sown in the video to make safety managers think about their own abilities to deal with an emergency. Which is what is intended and is why everyone should see the video at https://www.youtube.com/user/WorkSafeBC Video instructional and support guides, including the worthwhile Emergency Response Planning: 12 Tips for an effective emergency response plan, are available from WorkSafeBC.
U.S. May Ban International Call Outs for Wild Fire Suppression
Nevertheless, if there is an analogy here in B.C., it could be that the province needs to examine events in the U.S. and consider strategies to better create and encourage capacity among its own provincial resources, in particular the contract fire suppression services community. The WSCA believes part of the “new normal” around fire should include fostering a more reliable and capable contract fire fighting sector as a way of husbanding provincial resources and more effectively fighting wild fires in the future.
Off-Road Vehicle Registration Comes Into Effect 1 November
Originally anticipated last spring, but delayed until this fall, vehicle registration and safety provisions will now be mandatory at the beginning of November as part of the Province’s Off-Road Vehicle Act.