Phone: 250 679 3238
Phone: 250 679 3238
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Wildfire Response
What is the Kamloops Fire Centre? (from the BC Wildfire Service)
The Kamloops Fire Centre (KFC) is one of six regional Fire Centres in British Columbia and coordinates wildfire response across south central B.C. The centre boundaries extend from the northern border of Wells Gray Provincial Park to the U.S. border in the south and from the Bridge River Glacier west of Gold Bridge to the Monashee Mountains east of Lumby. KFC covers approximately seven million hectares of land, with the Regional Wildfire Coordination Centre located in Kamloops, where response is coordinated across the five zones within our region.
KFC typically experiences hot and dry weather, and it is common to have extended periods of temperatures between 35° C to 40° C with little to no rain. The terrain within the centre is extremely diverse, ranging from glaciers in the north to open range and semi-arid desert in the Southern Okanagan; from steep dry canyons in the Lytton and Lillooet area to the interior rainforest of Salmon Arm. The region supports a variety of vegetation including Ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, Jack or Lodgepole pine, spruce, balsam fir and sagebrush. Only one per cent of B.C. consists of grasslands, and most of those grasslands fall within KFC boundaries. The grasslands are also home to 30 per cent of B.C.’s species at risk.
There is an increased potential for wildfires in the urban interface with residential communities of high populations in the interior of B.C. Although, geographically, KFC is one of the smallest Fire Centre’s, it typically sees 25 per cent of the fires across the province each year.
The Kamloops Fire Centre borders the Coastal Fire Centre to the west, the Cariboo Fire Centre to the northwest, the Prince George Fire Centre to the northeast, the Southeast fire centre to the east as well as the State of Washington in the United States of America.
The Kamloops Fire Centre is further divided into five Fire Zones, which are named after where their Fire Zone Office is located. The five Fire Zones are Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton, Merritt and Lillooet.
In peak season, the Centre has almost 400 staff members, including 34 initial attack crews and seven unit crews. These crews and resources are spread out across the five zones. In KFC, throughout the fire season there are wildfire crews stationed in Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton, Princeton, Merritt, Lytton and Lillooet. Click the links to check out our educational articles on unit crews and initial attack crews.
In addition, the Provincial Rapattack program operates out of KFC from their base in Salmon Arm. Rapattack, among many other resources, is utilized to action incidents where remote access will unreasonably delay response.
To learn more about the Rapattack program, see the recently published educational article here.
If you are uncertain which zone or centre you fall in, use the “Find me” function on the BCWS Interactive map and/or Mobile App.
Everyone is asked to do their part by staying diligent when undertaking activities that may cause wildfires. Whether you are heading out into the backcountry or staying close to home, it is important to be diligent and do your part to prevent human-caused wildfires.
Please report all wildfires, either by calling 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone or through the BC Wildfire Service Mobile App. If you use the Mobile App for your report, please include a photo. The photos help operational staff by providing valuable information that supports response decisions and resource allocation.
For further guidance on reporting a wildfire through the app, check out the BCWS web and mobile app reference guide here.
Contact:
Fire Information Officer
BC Wildfire Service
Kamloops Fire Centre
250-554-5965
