Current Crew Photo

Crew History

Located in the Lakes District of Central British Columbia, the Village of Burns Lake has been home to wildfire crews for over 30 years.

The Burns Lake Lightning Strikers were the first crew to call the town home. Established in 1991, the Strikers were a First Nations provincial crew with members hailing from seven local Nations, including Lake Babine, the Ts’il Kaz Koh and the Cheslatta Carrier. Under the successive leadership of Terry Thrower, Ian Brown, Dan George and Herman Williams, the Lightning Strikers built a solid reputation until their dissolution in 1999.

The Burns Lake Unit Crew (BLUC) was established two seasons later in 2001. Under the supervision of Mike Allan, the crew of 20 included two members from the Lightning Strikers and new hires from across B.C. Mike had spent years fighting fires with the Coastal and Valhalla Unit Crews and was determined to create the best possible crew in Burns Lake.

For its first few seasons, the Burns Lake Unit Crew’s primary responsibility wasn’t fighting wildfires, it was fall-and-burn work designed to slow the spread of the mountain pine beetle. The crew wasn’t considered deployable to fires until they had completed all time-sensitive beetle work. That changed in 2003, when B.C. experienced a historic fire season. Crews across the province were pressed into service. Burns Lake logged over 80 fire days – an enormous number at the time – and emerged on the far side of the ’03 season shorn of the Pine Beetle Crew label. From then on, Burns was a wildfire crew first and foremost.

Mike served 13 years as crew supervisor. During his tenure, he instituted a mandatory training week for all new Burns Lake recruits designed to hone wildfire skills and foster a culture of grit and accountability. He oversaw the development of a fitness regime that emphasized cardio and high-intensity training that translated to the fireline. Burns Lake adopted their motto — Dig Deep. Be Solid. Take Pride. — and crew member Dan Dykens, who would later go on to supervise the Telkwa Rangers Unit Crew, designed the first Burns Lake logo and patch. When Mike left the crew at the end of the 2013 season, BLUC’s core identity and values were firmly established.

Erik Hansen took over leadership of the crew in 2014 and 2015. Erik carried the Burns Lake standard but added some of what he had learned working for Monashee Unit Crew. In 2016, Brett Leversage became supervisor and steered the crew safely through years of unprecedented wildfire activity, tweaking BLUC’s suppression techniques to suit the changing times. In 2023, leadership passed to Dylan White, who continues the tradition of making small changes while preserving Burns Lake’s longstanding values.

Twenty-five years in, the Burns Lake Unit Crew is a modern firefighting unit with their feet planted firmly in the past. They still run the same avenues and trails. They still store their gear in lockers that have hosted generations of crew members. They strive to be worthy of those who came before them and to leave a legacy for those who follow.

Patches

Crew Supervisors

Check back soon.

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