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In an ever-growing community, the City of West Kelowna has started to make adjustments when it comes to fire safety in complex buildings, which in turn will help approve larger developments in the future. In its Tuesday, Oct. 21 council meeting, the city approved the Plan for Firefighting in Complex Buildings report, which ensures that West Kelowna Fire Rescue (WKFR) will get the proper training and is equipped to fight possible fires in mid- (4-6 storeys) and high-rise (six-plus storeys) developments. “I believe it’s a practical and well-thought-out plan,” said West Kelowna Mayor Greg Milsom. “I also think having this plan is a very important step for our development industry.” This report brought to light the fact that there are still concerns for WKFR when it comes to high-rise complexes. “Fires on higher floors of larger buildings are an extraordinary challenge; this is often the most complex type of incident a fire department will encounter,” said WKFR fire chief Jason Brolund, calling these fires low-frequency but high-risk events. He added that when fires like this happen, increased manpower and equipment are needed. Also, each building presents different challenges, equipment, and strategies to battle the blaze. As part of this report, WKFR would rely strongly on systems and construction materials that are in these newly built developments, including meeting all BC Building and Fire Code requirements that govern construction types (non-combustible), as well as special in building systems (firefighter elevators, fire pumps, fire sprinklers and in building announcements), meaning the equipment needed for the fire department is already on scene. The equipment would also need to be maintained and serviced by the building owner. A part of the approved plan is to add a third-party on-duty fire company. This plan includes the addition and training of 10 firefighters. This is the largest cost of the approved plan , and staff brought forward a request for the budget for 2026. Brolund suggested the newly-hired firefighters would be onboarded in phases, with four hired in 2026 and three in both 2027 and 2028. It could also be delayed depending on whether developments are ready to advance, meaning they would not be hired until a building permit is issued. Brolund also had a timeline option to hire all 10 firefighters in 2027. “The improvements that were proposed to make here will not only benefit the fire department around complex buildings, but will also benefit the fire department across the board to all of the emergency types that we respond to,” said WKFR fire chief Jason Brolund. In 2023, council updated the West Kelowna Official Community Plan (OCP), which proposes more complex buildings for community growth. Policies in the plan called for supporting the requirements of the City’s emergency response services necessary to accommodate an increase in density and heights. When it was passed, council asked Brolund to bring forward a report that outlines how this policy can be met when it comes to complex buildings. As part of the plan, WKFR has made a five-pillar work frame: legislation and agreements, prevention, systems and equipment, training, and human resources. Each one was created upon recommendations to prepare fire services as the community grows. The report also recommended that the fire department deploy more than 30 firefighters to complex building fires, along with added mutual aid and support from other agencies, like Peachland and Kelowna, plus additional coverage in case of a second event. This also included WKFR hiring an assistant fire chief. “Now we at least have a game plan,” said councillor Rick De Jong, who added higher-level buildings haven’t come to the table because of this. “[Developers] can’t get financing to even get a shovel in the ground to start until they know we can defend the whole structure.” De Jong added he wanted to amend and revise the OCP back to six storeys, from the current 12-19 storeys and move it back to 12-19 when high-rise structures can be built. WKFR will also work on establishing a new agreement with Westbank First Nation (WFN) , also in relation to taller structures. The next review of the agreement is coming in the first quarter of 2026. “The agreement we have today has served both parties well since 2016, but both communities are experiencing rapid growth,” said Brolund. Brolund said this plan has been worked on over the last three years and said a lot of progress has been made, but there are still some needs.
