Volunteer firefighters have no  protection to take unpaid leave when they get called up during a state of emergency in BC and Canada. This  leaves them at the mercy of their local managers or companies they work for. 

Some have to quit their job while others are forced to use any holiday or sick time they have while away, leaving them with no time off to recover after helping save lives and homes during this state of emergency.

I created this petition after a friend was forced to use their vacation time and sick days,  left with no holidays and sick time for months until their anniversary.

  This petition is about changing the law not about individual companies.  

These men and women are hero's,  protecting us during these emergencies and often as in this case come back with injuries and extreme fatigue while having no paid time left to take to recover after they return home. 

When I found this out I could not believe there was no protections in place like this for our volunteers to take unpaid leave and  knew that many more people are not aware of this.   Is this how we should treat our heroes?

 Countries like Austria, Germany, Chile and Australia and states such as New York, Washington, Oregon, California and Montana have similar laws in place.  What similarities do these areas share with BC?  Extreme fire risks requiring states of emergencies as often as here in BC.

We are asking that unpaid leaves be granted to volunteer firefighters during a state of emergency in BC and other provinces, being codified into either the Employment Standards Act or the current state of emergency which states:

A Provincial State of Emergency gives the Province additional powers and tools to respond quickly to a serious emergency, such as wildfires.
These powers can help the Province:
• Coordinate emergency resources across B.C.
• Support communities and First Nations that need assistance
• Move firefighters, equipment and other resources where they are needed most
• Coordinate emergency accommodations, transportation and essential supplies
• Control access or travel in certain areas if necessary
• Issue evacuation or other emergency orders when required
• Request and coordinate additional provincial or federal resources

Our long term goal is to bring this to all provinces but we are starting with BC first. 

Thank you from our volunteer firefighters for taking the time to read / sign this petition!