With British Columbia's wildfire season only a few months away, anxiety is growing for an Okanagan firefighter due to his vaccination status.
Tristan Dobie says he's been a wildland firefighter since 2006, "from the blistering deserts of the Okanagan to the swamps of northern Ontario I have done my job and been proud to call myself a public servant."
Dobie says he is now out of a job because of the British Columbia Public Service vaccine mandate, "at the moment I am considered a health threat to my employer, coworkers and community."
Dobie says he is among the vaccine-hesitant and his efforts to get information or representation from the BC Government Employee's Union has so far has come up empty.
He says he's been off-duty for four months and was placed on "unpaid leave," even though he is not technically employed in the off-season, something he called "confusing."
"My union does not respond to my emails or queries anymore," he said, adding the BCGEU "made it very clear, professionally and personally" what their feelings are "on people like me, who have decided not to comply."
Dobie points to last year's fire season, which saw more than 1,600 fires burn nearly 8,700 square kilometres of land, making the it the third-worst season on record for area burned.
"In 2020, when this pandemic started, I was going to work every day. And we had no transmission. Nobody ever got sick. Yet, for some reason, I am considered a biohazard now and health risk with my employer."
When contacted for comment, the BCGEU said the public service vaccine mandate was provincial legislation and questions should be directed to the government.
Dobie says he has joined a lawsuit filed by a group of BC Public Service employees who do not want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The lawsuit argues the vaccine order is unconstitutional, goes against the Charter of Rights and “fundamentally alters the employment contract.”
The BC Wildfire Service said the vaccination policy applies to all BC Public Service staff until the Provincial Health Office says otherwise.
"The BC Wildfire Service will continue business operations with the assumption that the policy will be in place for the entire season," the agency said in a statement to Castanet, adding that they do not expect the policy will impact its ability to respond to wildfires.
"We continue pre-season preparation as usual."
Dobie says he saw firsthand how stretched the BCWF resources were last year and he says he's worried about what could happen this summer.
"Fire does not care about mandates. It does not care about vaccine status. If there aren't enough people to work this summer, the pandemic will be the least of our worries."
The vaccine mandate applies to more than 30,000 public service employees. Vaccination against COVID-19 is now a condition of employment for all new employees joining the public service as well.
