Rossland, Trail, Fruitvale get new wildfire trucks

Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue (KBRFR) has added three new Type 5 Wildfire Trucks to its fleet to address the increasing risk of wildfires in and around our communities. Over the last five years, KBRFR has responded to 165 wildfires locally and deployed firefighters and apparatus numerous times across the province to help other communities in their time of need. These new vehicles, built for our local wildland/urban interface response area, represent a significant investment in community and firefighter safety.

“The fire service is excited to welcome these units which will help us access remote areas and defend our communities in a safer and more efficient manner,” says Dan Derby, the KBRFR’s Fire Chief. “We are grateful to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Board of Directors, the Columbia Basin Trust, and AM Ford for helping us acquire them.”

Built by Rival Trucks on Vancouver Island, these specialty units were modeled after BC Wildfire Service’s Type 5 trucks and come equipped with a 105 USGPM pump, a  400 USG water tank and a 150’ hose reel, The trucks’ design is  based on a modular skid with storage space for all the required tools and equipment required to meet the Fire Chiefs Association of BC and BC Wildfire Service Inter-Agency Agreement. Examples of equipment carried includes portable fire pumps, hose, adapters, nozzles and appliances, chainsaw, hand tools, safety equipment and medical first responder supplies.

KBRFR has been enhancing wildfire response capacity for years in alignment with the Inter-Agency Agreement. All 83 KBRFR firefighters have been trained to the Wildland Firefighter I standard. Twenty-four have additional training as Engine Bosses and nine have received training as Provincial Task Force Leaders.

We are extremely thankful for the $395,962 Small Community Wildfire grant from Columbia Basin Trust that supported the purchase of two skid units, the additional wildfire equipment, and personal protective clothing in 2026. Additionally in 2024 and 2025, in partnership with Columbia Basin Trust, KBRFR received $345,000 from the Small Community Wildfire Grant program that allowed us to purchase new personal protective clothing for all our members and a Wildfire Response Trailer and equipment.

We would also like to sincerely thank AM Ford and their staff for their assistance with the purchase and delivery of the three Ford F-550 cabs and chassis. Their support ensured the success of this project, helping us stay on budget and on schedule while enabling the successful addition of the wildfire skid units onto each vehicle.

These new vehicles will be based in our Rossland, Trail, and Fruitvale stations, primarily responding to wildfire/interface fires and first responder medical incidents.