FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BCPFFA Celebrates Support from Local Government at UBCM 2025 with Endorsements to Enhance First Responder Safety and Protect Public from Building Code Risk 🚒
North Vancovuer City Jessica Mcllroy
Vancouver, BC – October 13, 2025 – The British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters' Association (BCPFFA) is celebrating the endorsement of two critical public safety resolutions at the 2025 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention, marking a unified call from local governments for urgent provincial action.
The BCPFFA extends its sincere appreciation to the City of North Vancouver for submitting NR12: Health and Wellbeing of BC's Public Safety Personnel, and to the City of Burnaby for championing NR42: Request to Repeal the Single Exit Stairway Building Code.
Action on First Responder Mental Health (NR12)
NR12 Health and Wellbeing of BC’s Public Safety Personnel Endorsed
Resolution NR12 addresses the escalating crisis of mental health among public safety personnel. Psychological-only injury workplace claims have increased five-fold in British Columbia since 2018, with fire and police personnel suffering from occupational stress injuries at rates four times that of the general population.
The resolution, which the BCPFFA was a key partner in developing, successfully mandates UBCM to ask the Province to take the following steps:
Provide two years of funding for the BC First Responder Resiliency Program (FRRP) to ensure continuous support while a longer-term funding model is developed4. The FRRP, which has served over 500 first responders across BC since 2019, has demonstrated positive, evidence-based outcomes lasting at least six months. (Source: BluePrint, UBC)
Ask the Ministries of Health, Labour, and Public Safety and Solicitor General to collaborate with FRRP interest holder organizations to develop mental health and wellness policies, regulations, and funding mechanisms for the program’s long-term viability and expansion across the province.
NR12 Health and Wellbeing of BC’s Public Safety Personnel Endorsed
Suspending the Single-Exit Stairway Building Code (NR42)
Resolution NR42 submitted by the City of Burnaby demands immediate suspension of a controversial change to the British Columbia Building Code (BCBC), effective August 27, 2024, which permits the construction of residential multi-family buildings up to six storeys with a single exit stairway under certain conditions.
The BCPFFA, alongside other groups like the Fire Chiefs Association of BC (FCABC) and the BC Police Association (BCPA), has publicly voiced opposition, citing elevated risks to occupant and first responder safety. The resolution urges UBCM to call on the Province to:
Township of Langley Councillor Tim Baillie (retired firefighter Surrey)
Suspend the implementation of the single exit stairway provisions in the BC Building Code.
Conduct a comprehensive safety review that includes consultation with UBCM, emergency service stakeholders, and a reference to BC-specific data.
The resolution's background context highlights the dangers: single-egress designs reduce redundancy in emergency evacuation routes, and data shows that 68 percent of residential fire deaths result from smoke inhalation, which can rapidly compromise a single stairwell exit. The increasing risk of lithium-ion battery fires adds another layer of urgency. (Source Len Gairs, University of Fraser Valley, 2024)
The Path Forward: Activating the Direction of Local Government
Todd Schierling, President of the BCPFFA, stated: "The collective endorsement from local governments on both NR12 and NR42 is a clear and powerful mandate for change. We thank North Vancouver City and Burnaby for leading these critical public safety efforts. Now, we need to see it through and work with the provincial government to activate the direction of the municipalities. The health and safety of our first responders, and the very safety standards governing the homes of all BC residents, depend on swift action from the Province on these endorsed resolutions."
The BCPFFA is committed to working with all provincial ministries to ensure these essential changes are translated from municipal resolution into decisive provincial policy and action.
About the British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters' Association
The British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters' Association (BCPFFA) is the provincial voice for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in British Columbia. Affiliated with the IAFF since 1929, the BCPFFA is dedicated to protecting the health, safety, and working conditions of its members and ensuring the highest level of public safety for all citizens of British Columbia.
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