It should start to be easier to book a hotel room in Kamloops starting Thursday, as a major influx of fire fighters from around BC should be on their way out of the city.
The Fire Chiefs Association of BC has been holding its annual conference in Kamloops from June 1st to 6th.
Association President Dan Derby, the Fire Chief of Trail, says their events have drawn big crowds this year.
“We have 260 fire chief delegates attending. We had 311 of our trade members at the trade show. We had over 300 local fire fighters attend the fire expo just from local fire departments,” said Derby in an interview with Radio NL.
The conference, which has included a trade show at the Sandman Center, as well as numerous educational seminars at Thompson Rivers University, covering a wide variety of issues for local fire departments.
“Wildfire mitigation, lithium battery safety, mental health and wellness, the Fire Safety Act… all of these things is work that we are doing with the provincial government to ensure that our fire fighters are safe, both physically and and mentally,” said Derby, who also warned of increased costs for local fire departments. “Some departments are citing 30 to 40 percent increases in apparatus costs in the last five years.”
This year represents the 93rd annual Fire Chiefs Association of BC conference.