BC is a place of many to call home. Whether your roots in British Columbia stretch back generations or you’re a newcomer to the province, something that unites us all is that we get to enjoy living in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We’re also all united by the responsibility to protect BC for the generations to come.

This is a big part of the reason why BCAA is committed to Moving British Columbians Forward and building a safer and more protected province – from our road safety programs, to giving back to communities and providing an inclusive and equitable workplace that protects everyone who calls BC home. And we’re committed to protecting our province before, during and after wildfires occur with various initiatives under our Defending Against Wildfires program.

Defending Against Wildfires

Year after year, we face one of our biggest challenges: wildfires. In 2023, wildfires burned through more than 2.84 million hectares of forest and land in BC. Tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate their homes during the most destructive wildfire season in BC’s recorded history. The following year, from April 2024 to April 2025, more than 1,680 wildfires resulted in an estimated 1.08 million hectares of land burned.

Since 2021, we’ve partnered with FireSmart BC to take action to prepare and protect BC communities from wildfires through education, prevention and preparedness, and in 2023 the BCAA FireSmart Initiative was formed to support remote, high-risk communities with FireSmart expertise, resources and education to help them increase their resiliency to wildfires. But wildfires are a threat that continues to grow, so we know we need to do more.

Supporting our volunteer firefighters

Defending our province also involves safeguarding our communities and our homes from the danger of wildfires – and we also need to support the heroes who sacrifice so much to protect us.

That’s why we partner with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Vancouver-Fraser (CMHA VF) Branch to bring mental health resilience training to volunteer firefighters across the province.

In BC, many regions are served by volunteer firefighters who work hard to protect our communities during local emergencies, fires and from the threat of wildfires.

“Now, more than ever, it is important to protect the psychological wellness of BC’s firefighters to enable them to defend against the growing threat of wildfires,” said Shawn Pettipas, BCAA’s Director of Corporate Purpose.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, first responders have a four times higher risk for symptoms of psychological disorders, compared to the average person. In the same study, 44.5% of first responders showed symptoms consistent with a psychological trauma, while the rate for the general population is around 10%. Yet, some have limited access to resilience training.

“The psychological impact of putting yourself on the front line of defending communities against wildfires cannot be underestimated,” said Judy Gray, Director, Mental Health Promotion and Interim National Manager of Resilient Minds® at CMHA VF Branch.

“As the need for mental health support continues to grow and become more complex, BCAA’s support means we’re able to make critical training and resources much more accessible to volunteer fire departments across our province.”

Helping to support Resilient Minds®

With support from the new BCAA partnership, CMHA VF will be able to deliver its Resilient Minds® ‘Building the Psychological Strength of Fire Fighters’ training program to firefighters who serve BC’s remote and rural communities.

“For us, this is about supporting mental health and providing firefighters the chance to access critical mental health training and resources that they would've otherwise gone without,” said Shawn Pettipas.

Resilient Minds® is an evidence-based, trauma informed, peer-to-peer training program that helps first responders to:

• Recognize the effects of psychological stress and trauma in self and peers
• Understand trauma-informed practices
• Communicate with peers who may be struggling
• Respond safely and appropriately to distressed community members
• Apply personal strategies for managing stress, mitigating trauma and boosting resilience

BCAA’s partnership with CMHA VF is just one part of our year-round commitment to protecting the people and communities of BC through programs and initiatives that help us all to better defend against wildfires and to protect this place we call home. Learn more about our other Defending Against Wildfires initiatives at bcaa.com/OursToProtect