Ashcroft Fire Rescue

Good evening, everyone. As you are all well aware, a small grass fire occurred just outside the village boundaries of Ashcroft, shortly after 3 pm this afternoon. The fire was caused by downed power lines. Fortunately, we can confirm that no structures were threatened by this fire. The fire was slow-moving. In this instance, Ashcroft fire's role was to inform Forestry of the situation on the fire grounds prior to their arrival. Shortly thereafter, a small fixed-wing aircraft, known as the bird dog, appeared in the airspace above the fire, accompanied by two large fixed-wing tankers. The aircraft quickly contained the fire. Ground crews from Forestry accessed the area and began the challenging climb to the firegrounds. They will be on site for some time performing mop-up operations. From all of us here at Ashcroft fire, we appreciate the quick response and engagement by the BC Wildfire Service. You are all doing a fantastic job!

On this date, 25 years ago (Feb 25, 2001), Ashcroft Fire Rescue received its first call through our fire dispatch located at Kamloops Fire Rescue's #1 hall. 25 years later, we are still going strong with this fantastic group of individuals. Last year, the Ashcroft Firefighters association voted unanimously to present our dispatching team with a 25-year exemplary service award. Goodness knows we have gone through some difficult and not-so-difficult calls together over the years. This is our small way of saying thank you for all you do.

There are two things I would like to mention.

The first is to our dispatchers, to those who have moved away, retired, or are still donning that headset at the beginning of your shift. You are all our heroes. Yes, a lot of voices have come and gone over the radio, but we are so very thankful for each and every one of you.

The second comment I would like to say goes out to my fellow colleagues in the first responder community. I've been around a minute or two, and I can say that I've been in the fire service without dispatch and I've been in the fire service with them. I can honestly tell you it is far better to work with a dispatcher than it is without. The best word of advice I can offer is, don't ever take dispatchers for granted. There is no such thing as 'just a dispatcher.' They are an absolute critical and essential part of your team. Without them, well, all I can say is good luck running command while you make a dozen or so calls to bring in extra resources, don't forget your benchmarks and time stamps. 😉

Again, on behalf of a grateful crew out here in Ashcroft, you have our thanks for a fantastic 25 years of dispatching. We look forward to working with you all (and future dispatchers) for many more years to come. 🚒🚒🚒❤️🚒🚒🚒

Chief Joshua White
Ashcroft Fire Rescue

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the community of
Tumbler Ridge.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE TO THE ROAD CONDITIONS! From all of us here at Ashcroft Fire, this message we would like to convey to people driving through our road rescue area. Since December 24th our rescue truck has been called into action 8 times with 7 of the calls being motor vehicle accidents. Tragically, one of the calls resulted in loss of life. On some of the calls it was noted that all season tires, and tires in poor condition contributed to some of these incidents. A reminder to all, that All Season tires without the M + S symbol or the snowflake are not legal on the highways in our area during the winter months.

Aggressive driving resulted in one family having to take defensive action to avoid a head on collision. Allow extra time to get where your going and above all, be patient with others on the road.

Some newer vehicles allow you to switch to a snow (winter)mode that change settings in the vehicle, to deliver more torque to the wheels and keep the RPM's a little on the lower side.

All of the motor vehicle incidents have happened between Ashcroft and Spences Bridge, with the majority being in the Spences Bridge area. Take care and be safe out there.

As we role into the Christmas season, we give you this gentle reminder!

A Christmas Public Service Announcement #psa #Christmas #firedepartment

This is a precursor to fire prevention week October 5th to 11th 2025. The topic for this year is. Lithium-ion Batteries in your home. These batteries can be found in watches, toothbrushes, cellphones, laptops, power tools, e-bikes, and vehicles. We even have them in our fire department radios. Watch the video for safety tips on Lithium-ion Batteries and let us know what your takeaway is. More to come on this subject in October.

Fires from lithium-ion battery-powered devices are still increasing at an alarming rate. Now is the time to learn how to Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of Battery Safety. Watch our PSA to learn tips on how to prevent these fires by using lithium-ion battery-powered devices safely. Learn more at batteryfiresafety.org. #BatteryFireSafety

Watch out! The fuzz is using our fire truck as cover for a radar trap.....

Ok so it's at the race track. Come check it out! Location, the Cache Creek *International* airport.

While the officer was here one vehicle made it up to 160kph in the 1/8 mile, this may or may not have been broken several times since he left.

Also this weekend, we have the Fall Fair happening in Ashcroft tomorrow at the arena and Graffiti days is happening in Cache Creek today with a smoke show happening followed by a dance.

Get out there and check it out!
Great events, all of them.

*the word "international" was used with heavy sarcastic undertones. 😉

Tonight, Ashcroft Fire honours the fallen brave first responders that gave their lives on September 11, 2001. The crew did the stair climb all the way to the top and back down on air. We will never forget.

From the Twin Towers, to the west wall of the Pentagon and onwards to a quiet field in Pennsylvania. We will remember the innocent lives lost and the sacrifices made by all that responded to the call on this tragic day.

The sacrifices continue to this day from site exposure for all who participated in rescue/recovery operations. We will never forget.