Bear Lake VFD

09/06/2026

A huge thank you to our friends at Bear Lake Station 503 for including us in their year end Employee appreciation BBQ. We had a great time, the food was amazing and the Company was even better. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful Ambulance crew in Bear Lake to work and train alongside. Shannon Marie Stacey and her crew have been so supportive of our department full of new recruits this past year and we appreciate you all, Thanks for having us ! Cheers to many more !

09/01/2026

2nd big update. One more to come!
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A big thank you to TC Energy and Coastal GasLink for their continued support of the Bear Lake Fire Department and our community.

Through their Community Investment program, TC Energy/Coastal GasLink provided $11,000 toward 2 new vehicle stabilization struts, and advanced rope-rescue equipment through the Bear Lake Volunteer Firefighters Association.

This equipment gives our firefighters additional tools to safely stabilize vehicles during motor vehicle incidents and expands our rope-rescue capabilities. Proper stabilization is one of the most important steps before an extrication can begin, protecting both the patient and the firefighters working around the vehicle.

This isn't the first time TC Energy and Coastal GasLink have supported Bear Lake. They previously provided approximately $20,000 for wildland firefighting and structure-protection equipment, including pumps, hose, sprinklers and GPS equipment — which remains part of our wildfire response equipment today.



For a small volunteer fire department, investments like these make a real difference. They allow us to add equipment and capabilities that would otherwise take years to build through our normal budget and fundraising.



Thank you to TC Energy , Coastal GasLink , and Tamara Trevelyan for supporting our volunteers and helping us provide a better level of emergency response to Bear Lake and the surrounding area.

07/30/2026

Tonight members learned brand new skills with an introduction to rope rescue. Starting with a classroom overview on what hardware and software we use, then getting to handle and operate equipment up close. On the tables we built step-by-step a basic 3:1 mechanical advantage using our new CMC Clutches, CMC single and double swivel pulleys, sewn loop prussiks and static rope and carabiners so everyone could see a complete system. Then out to the bays for a little tug-of-war and quick conversions from a 3:1, to a 5:1. Our 2 newest recruits dove right in and participated in the entire class, great work everyone!

Next time ill stop talking long enough to get more photos!

07/18/2026

https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/incidents?fireYear=2026&incidentNumber=G10951&source=map

this Fire has been marked as under control now.

BC Wildfire Service App

07/01/2026

The first of several BIG announcements from the Bear Lake Fire Department!

Over the past six months, our Association has been working hard behind the scenes, applying for grants and pursuing funding opportunities for several important projects. These projects will advance the Fire Department’s training and capabilities further than ever before.

We want to send a HUGE thank you to Defense Metals for fully funding 11 new CPR manikins for our First Responder training program, and a new Blackstone combination BBQ and smoker for our social and community events!

The advanced, Bluetooth-enabled CPR training devices provide firefighters and instructors with real-time feedback on the quality of chest compressions and ventilations during training.

We now have six adult manikins, two youth manikins, two infant manikins, and one full-body manikin. The full-body manikin includes an “AED skin” that, when used with the included ShockLink device and one of our AEDs, can simulate cardiac rhythms and allow the AED to determine whether a shock is advised during a training scenario.

We can also download and review performance data after each training session, allowing us to evaluate the effectiveness of our efforts, identify areas for improvement, and continue strengthening our lifesaving skills.

During a cardiac emergency, high-quality CPR may be a patient’s only chance of survival. These new training tools will help ensure our responders are prepared to provide the best possible care when it matters most.

The new Blackstone BBQ and smoker will also be a great addition to our open houses, social gatherings, and other community events, helping us bring people together and strengthen our connection with the community.

Thank you, Defense Metals, for your generous support of our First Responders, our Fire Department, and our community!

06/04/2026

Relay pumping and flowing large volumes of water during last night's training. Members learned;
- Static water supply.
- Draft with and without a primer.
- Relay/compound pumping.
- Engine 11 Master streams.
- Transitioning water sources.

They experienced the GPM limitations of the floating suction strainer, and how different modes on computer controlled pump panels work, and what to do when an alarm sounds.

We changed the Engine 11 monitor from an oversized combination, to a solid bore stacked tip for a lower pressure, high GPM flow rate.

Excellent work by all!

06/03/2026

Bear Lake Volunteer Fire Department is looking for donations of scrap cars, trucks, vans and suvs within Bear Lake that we can use to train for Auto Extrication. If you have one please send us a message so we can chat about it. Must be on wheels to move and accessible. Thanks everyone !

06/02/2026

Good morning Bear Lake. BC Wildfire Service will be performing a controlled burn south of the town this morning. If you see smoke rising this may be the cause. Do not hesitate to call 911 or *5555 if you suspect smoke coming from a different location. An official social media post should be out shortly and we will share that as soon as it is out.

06/01/2026

The Bear Lake Fire Department had a busy month of May with callouts and training. We responded to:

1 Wildland Fire.
1 "red" medical call.
2 "purple" medical calls.
3 Motor Vehicle Incidents.

Members attended 36 hours of additional training on weekends that included Incident Command: Strategies and Tactics, Technical Rope Rescue, and Critical Incident Stress Management.

Our Lt. Thibault attended a week-long conference with over 100 firefighters from around the province and took part in several courses, both classroom and hands-on.

Thank you to our Firefighters and First Responders for your dedication and time you give to the community.

As many saw, there was a major incident on the highway yesterday, and we need to remind everyone to give all First Responders ample room to work and give the patient privacy. Traffic control zones and emergency vehicles are set up and parked where they are for a reason. We will stop and direct traffic for the safety of First Responders and maintain the scene for any possible investigation. It is never acceptable to cross a line of cones no matter where you want to go.

Please be safe, everyone; the hot, dry weather is here, and wildfire season has already begun in many areas of the province. Let's help make June a quiet month!

We are always looking for more responders. Come join us any Wednesday at 18:00 to meet us and fill out an application!

05/30/2026

The fire department had an interesting event today. A young couple with a beautiful long haired dark shepherd came for help with porcupine quills in her nose and chest. While we managed to remove 3, it was clearly not going to be a quick process and did not want to cause further stress to both her and her people. We wish we could have done more for what was obviously a painful and scary situation for your dog and we hope you were able to find a vet who could help with pain managmemt and removal of the rest of the quills.