Chilliwack – A new four-storey live fire training facility is now operational on Wolfe Road. The new facility will provide firefighters with essential hands-on practical experience, enabling them to improve critical knowledge, skills and abilities, and ensuring they are well-prepared to respond safely and effectively to emergencies within our community.
The training building was constructed in part thanks to $1.22 million of the federal government’s Build Communities Strong Fund. The facility significantly expands firefighter training opportunities by providing realistic, adaptable, and multi-purpose training environments designed to improve firefighter safety, competency, and operational readiness.
The dedicated fire training structure allows the Chilliwack Fire Department to continue to meet and maintain the enhanced firefighter training standards and requirements established by the Office of the Fire Commissioner of British Columbia, WorkSafeBC, and the National Fire Protection Association.
“As Chilliwack grows, so does the need for more technical training opportunities for our firefighters,” said Mayor Popove. “The Chilliwack Fire Department is a crew of dedicated, hardworking people who care deeply about the well-being of their community, and we are proud to be able to support their training and development.”
Some of the training opportunities provided by the new facility include three propane-fueled burn rooms that provide controlled live fire training environments capable of producing temperatures up to approximately 500°F at four feet above floor level, a standpipe system and Fire Department Connection (FDC) prop to create realistic high-rise and apartment building training scenarios, as well as an adaptable training environment so training staff can alter building layouts for new exercises.
Paid-On-Call (POC) firefighter recruitment is open until August 7, 2026. To learn more about the Chilliwack Fire Department POC recruitment program, visit chilliwack.com/POC.
