The Oak Bay Fire Department was established in 1937, after the Municipality ceased contracting with the City of Victoria for this service. The present fire hall at 1703 Monterey Avenue, now included in the community heritage register, was built at that time.

The Department is staffed on a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week basis by 4 rotating 6-person fire suppression crews.  The Fire Chief is the Department Head; he normally works a Monday to Friday shift, and there is also a Fire Prevention Officer who works a weekday shift as well.

The Department has a strong focus on prevention, and in that regard conducts regular inspections of structures which are public buildings within the meaning of the Fire Services Act, not just to check for hazards, but also to familiarize themselves with building layouts in order to provide a more efficient response in the event of a fire call.

In addition to their fire-fighting training, all suppression crew members are also qualified Emergency Medical Assistant First Responders.  This allows us to respond to medical emergency calls when requested by the British Columbia Ambulance Service, as we are often able to provide a quicker response that can be the difference between life and death in some situations.

The Fire Department also coordinates the Municipality’s emergency program and would play a key role in the event of a significant earthquake or other disaster.

The Department can be reached at 592-9121.  This is also the number to call if you have an after-hours public works emergency such as flooding from a broken water line, or a serious sewer backup.  We will then contact municipal crews who can respond to provide assistance.