Gabriola Fire Board approves funding for Deputy Fire Chief

Derek Kilbourn

Sounder News

The Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District is increasing the offered wage for Deputy Fire Chief to $75,000, per a request from Fire Chief Will Sprogis.

During the Fire Chief’s report portion of the February Board meeting, Sprogis said the department had advertised a job opportunity for a Deputy Fire Chief. Advertising for that position was done throughout the province, as well as locally.

He had reported in November of 2023 four candidates had been attracted. One applicant had made it through the entire hiring process, and offered the job, but they declined the offer.

Sprogis said in November the cost of housing on Gabriola played a factor in the person declining the offer – the wage being offered by the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department was too low to sustain that individual on Gabriola.

This past Board meeting, Sprogis asked the Trustees to unlock some of the funds earned by the department through wildfire deployment in 2023.

During the 2023 Wildfire season, Gabriola firefighters and one of the water tenders were deployed to the BC Interior as part of the provincial wildfire response.

As the province pays the department for the deployment, there was $106,994 in revenue that came in to the GVFD from the province.

Sprogis asked the Trustees to release $26,000 from the deployment funds to be able to offer a $75,000 wage for a Deputy Fire Chief.

He said it is important for the department to aim to have a full-time Deputy Fire Chief.

Sprogis said he wanted to stress all the requirements that are being put on departments right now, including changes to Worksafe requirements.

The department is also going to be going through reaccreditation for Superior Tanker Shuttle status this year.

He also pointed to the training members have to keep up on the medical responders.

Sprogis said, “this load falls on myself, I’m barely coping now, I don’t think you’ll see a department in the RDN without a Deputy, except Nanoose, who are looking at one.”

Trustee Kent Moen asked if $75K is pretty standard in other departments.

Sprogis said, “it’s quite low, that’s where we need to start.

“We’ll look at next year’s budget, do the best we can, but that’s a base full-time Deputy Fire Chief.”