Fire Protection
Fire Protection on Texada
The Van Anda Improvement District (VAID) provides fire protection within its Improvement District boundaries.
Mutual aid and automatic response (Van Anda + Gillies Bay)
Van Anda and Gillies Bay work together to improve fire response on Texada. Both Improvement Districts are parties to the qathet Regional Fire Departments’ Emergency Services Agreement, which is a regional mutual aid framework that supports sharing personnel and equipment when additional resources are needed.
In addition, VAID and Gillies Bay have a signed Automatic Response Agreement (sometimes called “automatic aid”) so that certain incidents—such as structure fires—can trigger an immediate dispatch of resources between the two departments. This agreement is intended to supplement local resources, improve response times, and support a consistent incident command approach.
The regional agreement also recognizes that mutual aid works best when departments train together; the parties note that operational effectiveness will require annual training between and among the fire departments.
Wildfire interface capability and training
VAID’s fire department service level policy authorizes the department to provide wildfire interface suppression and to assist other local agencies as requested, in accordance with signed mutual aid arrangements.
In addition, some Texada volunteer firefighters also take BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) S-100 training each year. When BCWS requests assistance, trained members may be able to deploy to help on wildfires elsewhere, and deployments may include reimbursement arrangements administered by BCWS (separate from Improvement District fire protection).
Costs and how mutual aid works
Mutual aid agreements allow departments to request help when an incident is beyond their local capacity, and they include cost and accountability provisions. The regional agreement includes a cost recovery section describing reimbursement for emergency resources, consumables, and certain damages, and it sets out how requests are made and managed through dispatch and incident command procedures.
Fire protection boundaries and response coverage
From time to time, the Van Anda Improvement District (VAID) has worked with the Province to adjust Improvement District boundaries so that additional properties can receive Improvement District fire protection. Several properties have been added in the past and now receive fire protection through an Improvement District, improving overall fire safety for those areas. This information is kept here for reference, and because similar boundary changes may be considered again in the future.
Fire response on Texada is governed by Improvement District boundaries. Fires that occur outside Improvement District boundaries generally require a request from BC Wildfire Service (Forestry) before local fire departments can be dispatched, unless other agreements apply. Forestry does not typically request assistance until a fire has spread to forested land. This structure affects how and when resources can be deployed outside District boundaries.
Expanding Improvement District boundaries to include additional properties has been one way to extend this level of protection. When a property is added to an Improvement District, it becomes eligible for full Improvement District fire protection. This typically results in lower home insurance costs, along with an increase to the Rural Property Tax (RPT) to cover a share of fire department operating costs. These costs are collected as “Improvement District Fire Protection Tax” and are based on property value. Fire department budgets are developed by VAID Administration and Trustees with input from the Fire Chief, approved by the Board, and reviewed through provincial processes.
The process to extend Improvement District boundaries begins with property owners completing a Petition to Extend a Boundary. Petitions are reviewed by the VAID Board and then submitted to the Province for consideration. Timeframes can vary from a few months to over a year. In some cases, temporary arrangements may be considered while a boundary amendment is under review.
Property owners interested in learning more about this process are encouraged to contact VAID for information and guidance.
Questions?
Email contact@vananda-id.ca or call 604‑486‑7035