The Get FireSmart Podcast

Welcome back to Carrying the Fire: Indigenous Women Restoring the Land, a three-part Get FireSmart Podcast series about Indigenous women and their efforts to restore “good fire” to both land and community. For the third and final episode of the series, we listen to Samantha Draney, a proud member of the Skeetchestn Indian Band, as she speaks with host Jaci Gilbert of FNESS. Samantha’s story is one...

Welcome back to Carrying the Fire: Indigenous Women Restoring the Land , a three-part Get FireSmart Podcast series about Indigenous women and their efforts to restore “good fire” to both land and community. In episode two of this series, we hear from Darlene Vegh, a fire historian, a mapper of memory, and a proud Gitanyow First Nation Elder. For over three decades, she has documented the places wh...

Welcome to Carrying the Fire: Indigenous Women Restoring the Land , a three-part Get FireSmart Podcast series about Indigenous women and their efforts to restore “good fire” to both land and community.  In part one of this series, we meet Ashley O’Neil , an experienced firefighter, burn boss, and proud member of ʔaq̓am, a Ktunaxa Nation near Cranbrook, BC. In her conversation with host Jaci Gilber...

In this episode of the Get FireSmart Podcast, guest host Dan Stevens , FireSmart Education and Outreach Coordinator at FNESS, sits down with David McIlwraith , FireSmart Coordinator for the Sunshine Coast Regional District, to explore what it really takes to build a wildfire-resilient community. Drawing from real-world examples and firsthand field experience, David shares some valuable lessons on...

In this episode of the Get FireSmart Podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Kira Hoffman , Fire Ecologist and Researcher at the University of British Columbia, to explore what it means to live with fire in a changing climate. Hosted by FNESS FireSmart Researcher, Helena Marken , this conversation dives into the science of fire-adapted landscapes, the growing role of Indigenous-led fire stewardship, and the...

In this episode of the Get FireSmart Podcast, we’re joined by Armel Castellan , Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. With a diverse career spanning aviation meteorology, Arctic weather, Indigenous collaboration, and emergency management, he brings a unique perspective to wildfire resilience. In this episode, we explore the intricate relationship between we...

This episode of the Get FireSmart Podcast features Kara McCurdy, Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager for Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services and one of the 2024 Lynn Orstad Award winners. With over 30 years of experience as a forest technician, structural firefighter, and fire behaviour analyst, Kara brings extensive expertise and passion to wildfire mitigation. In this episode, we discus...

Many Indigenous communities—particularly those in remote locations—are immensely vulnerable to the threat of wildfire. FireSmart represents one pathway towards wildfire resilience that Indigenous communities may choose to adopt, often blending and working with established cultural fire practices and land stewardship initiatives. To discuss her experiences and the process of integrating FireSmart i...

In this episode, we speak with Jason Brolund, Fire Chief of West Kelowna. Through our conversation, we discuss his experiences with the devastating 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire and the important lessons learned from a difficult wildfire season. As a fire professional with decades of experience, Chief Brolund emphasizes the effectiveness of proactive preparedness through FireSmart principles, the...

In this episode, we sit down with Matt MacDonald, Lead Fire Weather Forecaster with the Predictive Services Unit for the BC Wildfire Service. Through our conversation, we dive into his background and learn what a day in the life of the Lead Fire Weather Forecaster looks like. As an experienced meteorologist and weather professional, Matt explains how t​​emperature, relative humidity, precipitation...

In this special two-guest episode, we speak with Vic Upshaw, the response support supervisor for FNESS, and Craig Moore, the founder and president of Rider Ventures, to explore their extensive experience in the world of wildfire resilience and response. Through our conversation, we learn about the importance of collaboration between communities, the BC Wildfire Service, and other organizations in...

We're excited to feature Dan Stevens, a FireSmart BC education and outreach coordinator from Chase, BC. Dan works with First Nations’ Emergency Services Society and has a passion for wildfire education, bringing his strong background of engaging with communities all across the province on the importance of FireSmart and wildfire preparation. In this episode, we talk about getting ready for wi...

Today’s discussion features Pete Laing, superintendent of fuel management with BC Wildfire Service. This episode unpacks his 33-year history in fire response and fuel management, discussing fuel types, the difference between good fire and bad fire, and the work that BC Wildfire Services does to protect BC communities. We'll learn about how fires move, the impact that has on fuel behaviour, an...

In this special two-guest episode, we dive into the FireSmart BC Education Program and how it initially took shape, featuring two key players in the process. Amanda Reynolds is the FireSmart supervisor with FNESS, and Warren Woytuck works as the director of the Critical Thinking Consortium (TC2). Get to know Amanda and Warren and their passion for wildfire resilience and education, and dive into t...

Jen Baron is a transdisciplinary ecologist and researcher with the Pacific Institute of Climate Solutions (PICS) Wildfire and Carbon Project and Canada Wildfire Strategic Network, with a focus on wildland fire, data science, and disturbance and landscape ecology. In this episode, we discuss Jen’s background, the history of fire in BC, and the importance of understanding and restoring active fire r...

Christina Hanger works in community engagement for the Country Fire Authority in Australia. She was one of the keynote speakers for the 2023 Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit, and in this episode, we further unpack what she shared during her presentation. We specifically explore how Australia continues to invest in community engagement, awareness, and education on wildfire resiliency, and ho...

In today’s exciting episode, we have the privilege of speaking with Wayne Schnitzler, the Executive Director of the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS). Wayne started his 35-year career in fire service in 1979 with the City of Surrey as a volunteer firefighter, and has since been a Captain of Training, Fire Chief, and received provincial and federal exemplary service awards for 20, 25...

This impactful episode introduces Daniel Berlant, the Acting State Fire Marshal and Deputy Director of Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). We learn what his organization is doing to address the increasing threat of wildfires and how residents can participate. From actionable steps for residents to community involve...

In our second conversation with Mike McCulley, we dive into his experience at the 2023 Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit. Mike is a Research and Innovation Senior Officer at BC Wildfire Service and has worked for the BC Ministry of Forests for 28 years. He’s currently leading the BC Wildfire Service Research and Innovation program. This episode explores Mike’s takeaways from the conference—t...

Mike McCulley is a Research and Innovation Senior Officer at BC Wildfire Service. In today’s episode, we begin the first of two parts and dive into Mike’s career on the front lines of wildfires. Mike specializes in working with both data and people—which are two things your average person doesn’t often think about when considering a wildfire. He shares stories of impact that stood out to him durin...

This episode features Brian Hutchinson, Fire Chief for the District of North Vancouver. In our conversation with Chief Hutchinson, we speak about his personal background, his passion for wildfire and his focus on training and developing his team and community to become more resilient to wildfire. This episode also highlights his involvement as the host fire department of the 2023 Summit and he tou...

This special episode features Deanne Suddaby and Brittany Seibert, both proud recipients of the 2023 Lynn Orstad Award. In our conversation today, we speak with Deanne and Brittany about their professional background, their personal passion for wildfire,  and their experience building their careers focused on wildfire resiliency.  Brittany Seibert is currently the Emergency Program Coordinator for...

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Mike Flannigan from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia. As an award-winning researcher and leading expert on wildfire behaviour and landscape fire modelling, his research goals include developing methods to help predict when and where extreme fire weather may arise and exploring the development of early warning wildfire notification syste...

As an entrepreneur and former firefighter, Robert has spent his career building tools and solutions to increase access to information by firefighters, fire managers and decision-makers. He is passionate about the way new technologies can better inform decision-making, safety and public expenditure. Also, fire. He loves fire. In this episode, Robert discusses the impact that technology can have on...

Mike Morrow is a Wildfire Prevention Officer who has worked with the BC Wildfire Service for over four decades. Since his first role as an auxiliary silviculture tech, his career has taken him across the province, including Nakusp, Port McNeill, Vanderhoof and Cranbrook. In this episode, Mike shares stories from working on the front lines and reflects on his vast experience in the wildfire landsca...