Watch Lake-North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department

05/18/2026

Wow, we had an absolute blast today at our Open House and 55th Anniversary celebration!

The weather was great - sunny, although not super warm, though that didn't stop people from dropping by.

We had lots of activities for the kids that were spread out on all sides of the fire hall. That meant we not not crowded in the least.

We are so grateful to everyone who helped to put this Open House together. There were lots of scrumptious baked goods for sale (and not too many left at the end of the event!). All of the hamburgers and all but 1 hot dog from our BBQ lunch were sold and we enjoyed a tasty 55th anniversary cake for dessert.

We had a few items for sale (old pumps, personal floatation devices, fire extinguishers, etc.). Most of which sold, other than 3 or 4 pumps that are still available.

The turnout from the community was great! We had lots of kids enjoying the various activities - from the scavenger hunt, learning to put on turn-out gear (which in some families turned into a race - super fun), learning to use a water hose to spray targets and of course, Fire Chief for the Day!

Here are a few photographs from the events and of our visitors.

Thank you to everyone who dropped by and made the day a great success! People were generous with their donations to the BBQ and bake sale. That money goes directly into ensuring our firefighters have the training, gear and apparatus to do their job safely - which is, keeping our community safe!

05/12/2026

Please join us in celebrating the Watch Lake-North Green Lake
Volunteer Fire Department’s 55th Anniversary and Open House!

Sunday, May 17th, 2026
11:00 a.m until 2:00 p.m.

Hall #2 (Sonny Johnson Memorial Hall)
5771 Green Lake North Road

Activities include:
• Demonstrations of firefighter apparatus
• BBQ lunch (by donation)
• Anniversary cake for dessert
• Bake sale for even more goodies
• Activities for children including Fire Chief for the day and fun
ways to learn about fire safety
• FireSmart resources to help keep you and your property safe
during the wildfire season

05/09/2026

With 2 fires burning not too far away from us, the air is starting to become very smokey.

Here's the air quality monitor at the Watch Lake - North Green Lake VFD Hall #2. It's reading 80 at 4:00 p.m. If it rises above 100, then it may be concerning for people with breathing prolems.

https://map.purpleair.com/air-quality-standards-us-epa...

If you have breathing problems - check this monitor frequently! See less

Watch: With two minute updates, PurpleAir sensors are small, easy to install and require only power and WiFi.

05/08/2026

WATCH LAKE – NORTH GREEN LAKE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT.
SPRING 2026 GLARA REPORT

So often the news from our side of the lake has started out with the same old story of nothing much happening – training courses continue, equipment in good shape and ready to go, our members are ready for whatever may arise during the coming fire season. Well, this time we have real news. Through our Fire Chief Andy Palaniaka’s with a contact at the Langley Fire Dept., we managed to
purchase from them a new-to-us 2002 engine. Its age was most important for us, since being a 2002 model, it provides us with five more years of service before the Fire Underwriters deem the
vehicle having “aged-out”. Our Volvo engine is over thirty years old now and although it is in perfect condition, we must conform to big city requirements where urban fire departments are running their vehicles daily. This age limit on equipment places an incredible financial hardship on all small, rural volunteer departments.

In addition to vehicle age limits, other important gear that in most cases shows little wear, must be replaced within a set time limit. Turn-out gear, costing $5,000 per firefighter, has a lifespan of ten
years. To keep our firefighters safely clothed, we began a program of replacing three units each year. In this way, after ten years all thirty of our members will be re-outfitted and the program can start over again.

In other news, there was a callout to a structure fire during the night of March 25th. Fifteen of our firefighters were available to respond to it. Although the main structure was destroyed, they were able to apply many fire tender loads of water to save the outbuildings and surrounding property. It is also worth noting that the family dog was rescued from under the burning structure.

As mentioned earlier, our members are fully trained and equipped for whatever the coming wildfire season may bring. But it is up to all of us to take as many precautions as possible to keep us and our properties safe, thus helping prevent fires throughout the whole community.

Our fire dept. colleagues on both sides of the lake will be regularly providing information and guidance regarding the FireSmart program of property protection. This information is also available
on the websites of both fire departments:
https://www.wlnglfiredept.org/ https://southgreenlakevfd.ca/

The hot weather and dry conditions in our area do not bode well for the coming summer months. Some open burning restrictions are already in place; campfires are still allowed, but watch for a ban
to be announced later this spring. The current restrictions cover category 2 and 3 open fires and items listed above in the SGLVFD article.

Plan ahead for safe travels when using motorized vehicles on the many trails surrounding our lakes. Sparks and hot exhaust pipes are often a cause of fires during the dry season. By working together,
we can all have a safe, peaceful and happy summer.

Roy Allan

05/04/2026

Mark your calendars!

The Watch Lake - North Green Lake VFD is hosting an Open House on the May long weekend.

Sunday, May 17th
11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Hall #2 Sonny Johnson Memorial Hall
5771 Green Lake North Road

Please join us as we celebrate our 55th anniversary!

There will be:
-a BBQ lunch by donation

-anniversary cake for dessert

-bake sale

-fun things for kids including being Fire Chief!

-demonstrations of our fire apparatus and equipment

-FireSmart resources available for residents to show them how to help keep their properties safe during wildfire season

-bring your questions, too, about FireSmarting your property and anything else pertaining to fire protection.

Come and meet the dedicated volunteers who work to keep our community safe!

05/04/2026

Good afternoon friends and neighbours!

I just received a message that there won't be any bottle sorting tomorrow morning. The next bottle sorting will be:

Monday, May 11th
10:00 a.m.
Hall #1 (Shorty Horn Memorial Hall)

From May 11th onward through the summer, bottle sorting will be EVERY week and will be starting at 9:00 a.m. (after the 11th).

We are looking for more volunteers as the number of bottles to sort has thankfully increased (due, I'm sure to the lovely warm weather!). However, we need more than the usual "skeleton crew" of dedicated folks that come out year-round to deal with the increased volume.

If you can spare an hour or two, why not come out and socialize while contributing to a great cause! All the proceeds go to our Watch Lake North Green Lake VFD. And this year, I'm worried that we will be relying on our firefighters quite often!

Thank you to those who donate their bottles (the kiosk at the Watch Lake Dump) and to those who take the time to sort them!

05/02/2026

FIRST GRASS FIRE OF THE SEASON
Our fire dept. had its first grass/bush fire on Wednesday, April 29th. A homeowner near Little Green Lake Road started a campfire that spread into the surrounding grass and necessitated a 911 call to us. Fifteen firefighters responded to an area of 2 ½ acres on fire. B.C.Wildfire Sevices (BCWFS) was called in as a precaution since the fire moved rapidly across the field toward the adjacent forest. However, our crew was able to prevent it from reaching the forest, and BCWFS action was not required. As a result, the homeowner avoided receiving a rather large bill for their services. He also had paid his annual fire dues. It’s an extremely dry season so far, so we must be vigilant whenever having a campfire.

04/29/2026

AIR QUALITY CONTROL SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE

Our community has been hit hard by wildfires and wildfire smoke,
and many of us clearly remember when Carter Vigh died tragically
from asthma in nearby 100 Mile House in 2023. His death was
related to poor air quality due to wildfire smoke. We are so very
grateful to the BC Lung Association and the Vigh family for
creating "Carter's Project" which has led to the distribution of
monitors to communities most likely to be impacted by poor air
quality, such as from wildfires.

Now that we have our own air quality monitor installed at
Fire Hall #2, residents and visitors alike will be able to check local air quality conditions before venturing outside. Just beyond Hall #2 are several government campgrounds, private resorts and picnic/day use parks. In summer, these attract many visitors and our local population increases at least five-fold. How wonderful to
know that our local monitor will help keep people safe!
You can check the local air quality conditions online at the “Purple Air” website below. Click on the "Purple Air" cloud to see our region.

We are grateful to both the BC Lung Association and to the Vigh family for coming to our fire department on March 31st to install the monitor and to share stories afterward.

Watch: With two minute updates, The US EPA PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) is a number used by US government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become.

04/22/2026

Category 2 and 3 fires are prohibited in the Cariboo Regional District as of 12:00 noon and April 23, 2026 until October 31, 2026.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1J5ZQEiQ9u/

Effective Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) PDT, Category 2 and 3 open fires and associated equipment and activities will be prohibited across the entire Cariboo Fire Centre including the Tsilhqot'in (Xeni Gwet'in) Declared Title Area.

The prohibitions will remain in place until 12:00 noon on October 31, 2026, or until the orders are rescinded.

For full details, visit: https://blog.gov.bc.ca/bcwildfire/category-2-and-3-open-fire-prohibitions-coming-into-effect-across-the-cariboo-fire-centre-2/

04/07/2026

Here are a few photos of our latest “new to us” engine acquisition. Our old Volvo Engine 11 ( hall #1 ) was 31 years old and needed to be replaced by Fire Underwriters Service (FUS) requirements. Unfortunately the FUS mandates that we replace our engines at 20 years of age. For small rural fire departments like ours, we can apply and extensions to a maximum of 30 years.

Through some luck and connections, we were able to discover that the City of Langley was replacing a 25 year old engine. Fortunately for us, they understood the difficulty that rural fire departments like ours have financing vehicle replacements. As a result, we were able to acquire their old engine for a price that fit within our budget and satisfied their vehicle disposal requirements. While it’s old, it will us another five years of FUS compliance and provide us more time to accumulate funds for a newer engine.

Andy Palaniak, Fire Chief, WLNGLVFD