The series consists of administrative and operational records that document and support the functions and activities of the Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) in improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of municipal fire services in British Columbia. The Office of the Fire Commissioner is the senior fire services advisory authority in British Columbia and is responsible for administering the Fire Services Act and the BC Fire Code. The OFC is located in Victoria, and there are five regional offices: Vancouver Island (Victoria); Lower Mainland (Victoria); South East (Nelson); Thompson Okanagan (Kamloops); and Northern (Prince George). The records in this series come primarily from the OFC, however many also come from the regional offices.

The subject matter of the records includes: the training, certification, and recognition of firefighters; participation in national and provincial firefighter associations and conferences; emergency and disaster planning; hazard identification, regulation and enforcement; the standardization and safety testing of firefighting equipment and material; and fire protection surveys of municipal fire departments. Additionally, there are some records relating to building plan approvals and reviews (GR-3568), fire investigations (GR-3575), fire safety appeals (GR-3576), and fire safety inspections (GR-3577), however most of these records can be found in the aforementioned GR series descriptions.

The series is comprised of both operational and administrative records. The archivist has maintained the original order of these records, which includes interfiling of operational and administrative records. Generally, the administrative records relate to committees and councils, participation in national and international associations, standards, legislation and regulations (the BC Fire Code and Fire Services Act in particular), and the production of the newsletter, “Infiremation.”

The operational records fall under the classifications defined in the Operational Records Classification System (ORCS) for the Office of the Fire Commissioner (schedule 116756). These are listed below, with the corresponding number from a previous ORCS provided in parentheses. It is often the previous ORCS number which has been used as a file code, and can help the user quickly identify the general nature of the file. When relevant, the GR series has also been provided in parentheses.

• 80000 (10000) Office of the Fire Commissioner - General
• 80050 (unknown) Fire Service Information System
• 80100 (11000) Fire safety appeals (GR-3576)
• 80200 (12000) Fire service award
• 80300 (13000) Fire investigations (GR-3575)
• 80400 (14000) Fire safety inspection (GR-3577)
• 80500 (15000) Fire fighting equipment
• 80600 Hazardous material – general: Compressed gases (16000) and Flammable and combustible liquids (17000)
• 80800 (18000) Solid fuel burning appliances and equipment
• 80900 (unknown) Equipment testing approval
• 81000 (20000) Fire protection surveys
• 81100 (21000) Building plan approvals (GR-3568)

This series is comprised of several different accessions. In some cases, a single accession is comprised of both operational records and administrative records, arranged chronologically. However, in some cases, an accession may be comprised of a single type of record (e.g. fire protection surveys). As a result, the series itself is not arranged in any particular way, but the container numbers in the left-hand column, as well as the file code number may provide some insight to the arrangement and organization of records. Original order of the records has been maintained.

Stock shots

The item is a reel of reversal film which depicts the Kimberley Volunteer Fire Fighters Competition. It is a historical record of community events, and shows the work of the Office of the Fire Marshal in liaising with and supporting volunteer fire fighting units.