Vernon Fire Rescue Service Year In Review

Vernon Fire Chief Presented 2025 Recap to Council: Slight Dip in Calls, Tech Wins, and Strong Grant Support

VERNON BC January 29 2026 - Vernon Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) Director and Fire Chief David Lind delivered a detailed 2025 year-in-review presentation to Vernon City Council on January 26, highlighting a busy but successful year marked by improved technology, solid regional partnerships, and steady community protection despite staffing pressures.

Adventure Bay Wildfire

In 2025, Vernon Fire Rescue Services' 4,893 total dispatched emergency calls broke down as follows: First Medical Response (general) dominated at approximately 66.1%, followed by Other at 12.5%, Alarms at 10.2%, Motor Vehicle Accidents and Rescues at 5.9%, and Fire incidents at 5.2%.

Call Volumes and Breakdown

VFRS responded to 4,893 dispatched emergency calls in 2025, a modest 1% decrease (69 fewer calls) from 4,962 in 2024. The breakdown showed shifts in demand across categories:

• Fire incidents: 252 in 2025 (down sharply from 306 in 2024, reflecting stronger prevention, early detection)

  
  

• First Medical Response (FMR) – general: 3,236 in 2025 (slight increase from 3,217 in 2024; this remains the largest category by far, accounting for about two-thirds of all calls).

  
  

  Medical responses include a wide range of emergencies such as cardiac events, falls (often age-related), breathing difficulties, and overdose/poisoning incidents.

  
  

  For context on the scale of the ongoing toxic drug crisis in Vernon, BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) paramedic data recorded 770 overdose/poisoning calls in the community in 2024, many of which overlap with VFRS first-response involvement for immediate life-saving interventions. 2025 numbers have not been released yet.

  
  

• MVAs and Rescues: 291 in 2025 (down from 308 in 2024)

  
  

• Other: 614 in 2025 (up from 537 in 2024)

  
  

• Alarms: 500 in 2025 (down from 536 in 2024)

  
  

SenseNet Technology: A Game-Changer for Situational Awareness

Council heard particular praise for the SenseNet system, which Chief Lind described as providing "unprecedented situational awareness" across Vernon's 97 square kilometre area.

The network of cameras and smoke sensors delivered real-time video and data, notably during the fall Adventure Bay wildfire, where it enabled early detection, continuous monitoring, and post-incident investigation support.

GIS integration helped fill coverage gaps in "shadow areas," giving firefighters extended visibility into higher-risk zones and allowing faster threat identification.

Lind emphasized that SenseNet has dramatically improved early warning capabilities compared to traditional methods.

Staffing and Operational Readiness

Staffing remained a challenge under WorkSafe BC rules requiring at least four firefighters for interior "immediately dangerous to life or health" (IDLH) operations.

Strategic targets were set for each station (Station 1: 6 firefighters ideal; Station 2: 4; Station 3: 2 plus auxiliaries), but actual levels varied: Station 1 hit full staffing only 1% of the time, while auxiliaries and career staff covered higher-risk periods at Station 3.

The 75 Emergency Support Services (ESS) volunteers logged over 400 training hours across 23 sessions and supported 19 activations, including a complex 61-day response to a large apartment fire with vulnerable residents.

Grants Fuel Progress

VFRS secured multiple grants in 2025 to fund emergency operations centre upgrades, ESS equipment and training, Indigenous engagement and capacity building, FireSmart initiatives, and technical rope rescue gear/training.

These investments, combined with wildfire prep (including a 5-hectare fuel treatment along Apollo Road with BC Wildfire Service) and a new mutual aid agreement with Lake Country, strengthened regional response capacity.

Chief Lind concluded that the department's efforts, guided by the 2025-2032 Strategic Plan, delivered clear value, with fire services costing the average homeowner roughly $1.20 per day in municipal taxes while preventing far higher insurance premiums in the absence of a dedicated fire department.