B.C. wildfire fighters remember Devyn Gale 1 year after her death
Devyn Gale died near Revelstoke after being struck by a falling tree, while fighting a blaze
It's been a year since Devyn Gale, 19, was killed by a cedar tree that fell on herwhile she was fighting a wildfire outside of Revelstoke.
Gale wasone of the first people at the Hiren Creek fire, on a steep, heavily forested slope in the Monashee Mountains. Her brother Nolan Galewas in the four-person crew that day, as well. Although the fire was visible from Revelstoke, about 210 kilometres northeast of Kamloops, it wasn't seen as a threat.
Devyn Galewas in her third season with the B.C. Wildfire Servicewhen she died on July 13, 2023.
A year later, B.C. Wildfire Service members continue to grieve her loss and they planned to lay down their tools and observe a moment of silence on the anniversary of her death, they said in a statement.
DevynGale came from a firefighting family and heryounger sister, Kayln Gale, is also a firefighter. The Columbia Fire Zone unit, based in Revelstoke, nicknamed thefamily Gale Force.
Thousands of people watched Devyn Gale'sfuneral, which was livestreamed fromRevelstoke Secondary School on July 24, 2023. And Kalyn Gale addressed the hundreds of people, includingB.C. Premier David Eby, who were at the service.
She said the extreme temperatures, frequency and intensity of fires, wouldn't stop because her sister died.
Maybe it's the call to action we need, she said during the service.
"To finallyask ourselves if we're fine, with every summer having record-breaking fires, and record-breaking temps, and record-breaking natural disasters."
On Thursday, Eby reflected on the anniversary of her death.
"It was devastating for her home community of Revelstoke, it was devastating for her family, and I think for all British Columbians that learned of it," he said.
"She was a remarkable person.She was in nursing school, she was a firefighter in her spare time, standing up for BritishColumbians out in the woods."
In September,his office created a task force of expertsto study what the province coulddo differently in response to wildfires, after the record-breaking 2023 season.
The group made 31 recommendations,some of which have already been implemented,Eby said.
More firefighting crews have been hired and they are getting more training and mental health support. In addition,morepartnering with municipalities, regional districts and First Nations is underway andtechnology is being used toimprove communication and fire predictivity.
As this year's wildfire season churns ahead with more than150 fires burning in B.C.and out-of-province crews offering support, many people are rememberingDevyn Gale.
Tom Taylor, a West Vancouver musician, is one of them. Helearned about Gale through the news andwas so moved he wrote a song.
"Devyn Gale grabbed her gear, her pulaski and her pack, headed out of Revelstoke never to come back," he sings in the piece, which is being played on Stoke FM, the local radio station in Revelstoke.
Taylor said he's beenthinking about Galethroughout the year.
"It got under my skin," he said. "It's just heartbreaking."
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