2023: year of the firefighter

Castanet is revisiting the top stories of an eventful 2023. Today, for the person of the year, we have chosen 'the firefighter,' as represented by West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund.

If an election were held today, regardless of the public office, West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund would stand an excellent chance of winning.

Brolund has always had a reputation as affable, honest and forthcoming. Those traits were on full display during what became must-see TV on daily news briefings during the McDougall Creek wildfire back in August 2023.

The McDougall Creek wildfire turned into a nightmare for West Kelowna residents and firefighters on Aug. 17, later becoming a problem for firefighters and residents on the east side of the lake as well.

By 9 p.m. on Aug. 17, the fire had jumped Okanagan Lake and started burning in Kelowna's Clifton and McKinley neighbourhoods, forcing RCMP officers to conduct tactical evacuations.

The next morning, Brolund didn't shirk his duties, acknowledging homes had been lost in, “one of the most challenging nights of firefighting in our history." At the time Brolund called it: "100 years of firefighting all at once" and "a fire chief's worst nightmare."

But no lives were lost.

Throughout these daily media briefings, it became clear how hard the firefighters were all working and how serious the situation was. But despite the challenges, Brolund shared daily tales of triumph that helped people understand the massive firefight and give them some perspective.

After four days of an all-out firefighting effort, crews had saved the $75-million Rose Valley water treatment plant and the focus began to shift to evacuees and their struggles. Brolund, also an evacuee, tried to bring some levity to the situation.

"I'm feeling the same things you guys are," Brolund said during a press conference, "I'm running out of underwear, too, folks. I get it."

The quip served as much-needed comic relief and the off-the-cuff comment went viral, to the point where Brolund had to ask people not to send him any more underwear.

Images of crews fighting fire in people's backyards made national headlines, with one woman connecting with the firefighter she spotted on her doorbell camera.

“We just feel like he is our angel and our hero,” said Marnie Endersby, who stayed up until 4 a.m. to watch her home.

Endersby got to thank firefighter Sean Minchin in person once things quieted down: "I have framed his picture in our house so that we can always be reminded of the blessing that we received.

For his part, Minchin remained humble, making sure the other firefighters on the scene that night – Trevor Gates, Scott Wasden and Mike Kay – also got some of the glory.

And who can forget the photo of the West Kelowna firefighters making sure that Poomba the pig was safe and had something to eat.

"Seeing Poomba alive is honestly such a relief and gives us back hope," said Poomba's owner Jeff Findlay.

The wildfire and the fight to stop it also attracted provincial and national attention, with Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flying in to see the damage for themselves.

The meeting with Trudeau would lead to a visit to the United Nations headquarters in New York for Brolund.

"It's not something that I ever expected would come out of this and it's not something that I'm looking for. I also never expected to be at the UN," he said.

As big of a thrill as that was for Brolund, being a part of the group that got to drop the puck at the Vancouver Canucks first-ever Firefighters’ Night, on Dec. 7, 2023, was also a great chance for Brolund to turn the spotlight on others and use the moment to recruit future firefighters.

"It's timely, we need people to start in January, to be ready for next year's wildfire season. I never want to let an opportunity go by, especially if it means sharing our story and trying to improve things for our firefighters and for the community," says Brolund.

In 2023, B.C. wildland firefighters lost their lives: Devyn Gale, Zak Muise, Kenneth Patrick, Jaxon Billyboy, Blain Sonnenberg and Damian Dyson.