The B.C. government has been fined for a “lack of planning, training, and communication” behind a 2023 planned ignition that put firefighters’ lives at risk in the North Shuswap.
WorkSafeBC fined the province $759,388.84 for two incidents involving BC Wildfire Service.
One involved the death of 25-year-old firefighter Zack Muise, who was killed when the utility terrain vehicle (UTV) he was on rolled over while fighting the 2023 Donnie Creek wildfire. Muise was one of two workers on the vehicle when it went over an embankment.
WorkSafeBC determined neither worker was wearing a helmet, the passenger wasn’t using a seatbelt, and the passenger-side retention netting had been damaged.
“In addition, inadequate supervision, a lack of safe work procedures and training for operating the UTV, and a lack of a pre-use inspection of the UTV all contributed to the incident,” reads WorkSafeBC’s decision.
The second incident, on Aug. 17, 2023, involved a plan ignition along a power line in response to what was at the time called the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire. During the ignition, a crew of five Brazilian firefighters in one truck became entrapped.
“Other crews involved in the operation were forced to navigate off-road when their escape route was compromised,” said WorkSafeBC, which determined a “lack of planning, training, and communication” were all contributing factors. Furthermore, WorkSafeBC said elements of the employer’s safety program and operations manual hadn’t been followed.
“The employer failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety, a repeated and high-risk violation,” said WorkSafeBC.
North Shuswap resident Jim Cooperman, who maintains that the planned ignition contributed to the blaze that rolled through his and neighbouring communities, views the WorkSafeBC fine as further confirmation that the “backburn was an obvious mistake.”
“To this day, they (BC Wildfire Service) continue to say the backburn was a success and saved hundreds of homes and yet they’ve been fined for almost killing their crew because of the backburn,” said Cooperman. “It just shows how the government, the BCWS, continues to deny their mistake and claim that what they did was the right thing to do when it’s quite obvious that it wasn’t.”
WorkSafeBC’s decision stems from a 2024 inspection report, which noted 11 days had passed before the incident involving the Brazilian fire crew had been reported. WorkSafeBC said from interviews with workers it became apparent that a lack of planning led to the entrapment incident, and noted BCWS’ own Facilitated Learning Analysis of the incident mentions “no consideration towards ground resource co-ordination was part of the planning process.”
Cooperman is waiting for the B.C. Forest Practices Board to complete its investigation of the planned ignition, as well as a response from the BC Ombudsperson.
Read more: Planned burn in North Shuswap led to entrapment of firefighters: WorkSafeBC
Read more: Planned ignition during North Shuswap wildfire under investigation