There’s less than two weeks to go before the application deadline to apply to be a BC Wildfire Service firefighter next summer.

Fire information officer Erika Berg says the deadline is Jan. 12, and prospective candidates have to pass two fitness tests and attend a new recruit boot camp.

“And those are just for crew members. There will also be seasonal recruitment for support staff like myself. Those posting will come out in the new year but in regards to applying to become a crew member, those applications are currently open.”

Berg says the BCWS employs around 1,500 people each year, and that does not include contract crews like pilots.

She says the service gets a lot of inquiries from people asking to help out, especially in bad fire seasons, like 2017 and 2018.