The Government of Yukon recently delivered a wildland fire truck and firefighting equipment to Keno for use this winter. The new equipment is part of the government’s work with unincorporated communities to strengthen their volunteer fire services through education, training and equipment.
Residents from Keno were provided a program orientation with the fire truck delivery and volunteers will begin training to respond as Scene Safety Responders this month. As mutual-aid partners, the Mayo Volunteer Fire Department also familiarized themselves with the vehicle’s operation.
A review of Yukon fire services was published in December 2021. In the year since, the Yukon Fire Marshal’s Office has been working with communities to develop solutions for fire prevention and protection. This includes a new “levels of fire service” model, which matches community capacity and needs with sustainable fire service programs. In this model, if a community has one or more identified volunteers, it can initiate a Fire Safety Champion Program, with the potential to grow into a Scene Safety Response Unit, Exposure Protection (Basic), Exterior (Advanced) and Interior (Firefighter 1) fire service, based on volunteer resources.
In Ross River, eight volunteers started fire safety training in November 2022. In Beaver Creek, the Fire Marshal’s Office has identified a local Fire Safety Champion to support fire safety, prevention and recruitment. In Old Crow, planning is underway to recruit and train volunteers for a fire safety and protection program.
The Government of Yukon and the Yukon Fire Marshal’s Office will continue encouraging community-based, community-driven, and community-supported volunteer fire services by providing appropriate equipment, training and administrative support across the territory.
