Big White Fire Department

Chief’s Message

I would like to welcome you to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary – Big White Fire Department website. 

We are a composite department providing our community with a wide range of services including: fire suppression and prevention, fire & life safety presentations, public assists, emergency medical response, auto extrication and rope rescue. We also provide road rescue services to over 90kms of Big White Road and Highway 33 to Carmi, and emergency medical response to the residents of Idabel Lake.

We respond to an average of 260 emergencies per year with the majority occurring between November and April. In 2013 our department was accepted into a pilot project with the Emergency Health and Services Commission to train our members to EMR level of care. This allows our responders to provide additional medical protocols to enhance patient care while awaiting BCAS paramedics.

Our full-time work experience fire fighters are participants of an innovative work experience program (WEP) that runs every year for eleven months from June to April. Now in its eighteenth year, this program allows us the opportunity to staff our fire station with a crew on a twenty-four hour, seven day a week basis. Our program continues to gain popularity throughout Canada and internationally with over 80% of our graduates going on to career positions in the fire service.

We operate out of one fire hall (Station 311) with one Engine, one Ladder Truck, one Rescue Truck, one Bush CAFS Truck, two Command Vehicles and 1 Utility Vehicle. Station 311 is located at 7555 Porcupine Road, Big White.

I invite you to explore our website, and if the opportunity presents itself, visit us here at the Big White Ski Resort. Big White is a world class ski resort community with a summer-time population of approximately two hundred residents and a winter population that exceeds 25,000 during the peak ski season. Big White offers summer downhill biking and hiking and a wide variety of winter activities for the whole family. Come and enjoy our world famous Okanagan champagne powder. Summer or winter be sure to check out our neighbouring community of Kelowna and enjoy some of the amazing experiences offered here in the southern Okanagan.