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LANGLEY, BC — A report from British Columbia’s Occupational Safety and Health Authority says the potential dangers of a burning cedar tree were recognized but not addressed before the tree fell last summer, killing a young wildfirefighter and injuring two others.

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WorkSafeBC’s 21-page incident investigation report highlighted ineffective hazard management, inadequate supervision, training and instruction of young workers, unsafe work practices and the normalization of risks.

Nineteen-year-old Devyn Gale died last July while fighting a forest fire northeast of Revelstoke when she was struck by a burning tree.

“Although the burning cedar hazard was reported, no action was taken to eliminate or mitigate the risks,” the July 2, 2024 report said. “This is in violation of regulatory requirements, as well as the procedures outlined in the Wildlife/Dangerous Tree Assessor Course, Firefighter Training Standard and (BC Wildfire Service) Safe Work Procedures.”

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The report states that firefighters working near Gale “heard a loud cracking sound, like a tree falling.” However, their attempts to call the woman received no response. When they went to check on her, they found her lying on the ground with fatal injuries.

Premier David Eby said Wednesday he has directed the BC Wildfire Service to implement reforms identified in the WorkSafeBC report as safety deficiencies related to Gale’s death on July 13, 2023.

He said it was clear that something had gone “tragically wrong” and that reforms needed to be implemented to ensure workers were supported and trained to prevent injuries and deaths.

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“Given Devyn’s death, it was quite obvious that something had gone tragically wrong at the site,” he said. “There is no doubt that people who volunteer for wildland fire service are volunteering for an inherently risky and difficult job. But it should never be risky or dangerous because of a lack of training, because a safety concern raised by someone was not addressed as it should have been.”

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Eby said during an independent news conference that he had been told “significant changes” had already been made, including ensuring that young firefighters “have the protection they deserve.”

Eby attended Gale’s funeral in Revelstoke last year, where hundreds of city residents lined the route of a memorial procession of BC Wildfire firefighters and first responders.

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The WorkSafeBC report states: “There is no evidence that an assessment of the hazard of burning cedar was conducted at the site before workers began work.”

The report identified six violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and BC Wildfire Service regulations, including failing to provide workers with sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure worker safety, and failing to ensure adequate planning of activities related to tree removal.

According to its own statement, WorkSafeBC’s mission is “to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities and to support injured workers through fair compensation and effective rehabilitation.”

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