The Genelle fire hall continues to operate, despite having fewer firefighters than it should.
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary was poised to close the hall at the end of June 2025. At that time, staffing was down to four, and most fire response was coming from Trail.
The RDKB board granted a reprieve while the community tried to find more volunteers. The arrangement called for 15 firefighters by Sept. 1. However, the board said it would revisit the decision to close the hall if membership dropped below 10 firefighters for more than six months.
Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue Chief Dan Derby said this week that recruitment efforts last year led eight people to join the paid-on-call ranks in Genelle. Four of them are still active, while four others dropped out or are on leave. That brings the total number of active firefighters in Genelle to eight, two short of what is required.
Derby said Genelle will be included again in this year’s recruiting efforts because he has received no instructions to the contrary.
The Fire Underwriters Survey dictates a minimum of 10 firefighters for the community for insurance purposes. Having fewer firefighters or no fire hall would potentially mean higher premiums for residents, since the next closest hall in Trail is more than eight kilometers away.
In 2025, Fire Underwriters placed the Genelle hall under “provisional” status, giving the community a year to address the staffing issue. Paid-on-call staffing in Genelle has been identified as a concern since at least 2007.
Derby said the recent completion of a training facility in Trail offers excellent opportunities for people interested in becoming firefighters.
“Being a firefighter has been part of my life since I was 17, and it’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life,” he said.
He added that recruits need to know that firefighting comes with a significant time commitment. Another recruitment drive will take place this spring and summer for a class that will begin in September, giving people time to consider the idea.
“Some of our best recruiters are our members,” he said. “Talk to people that you know in our stations and explore the opportunity to become part of the team.”
Derby said staffing also remains a challenge at the Montrose hall, but it has the benefit of being within eight kilometers of the hall in Fruitvale. He said Rossland is their strongest station for paid-on-call members.
