Administration and History
Meet the Fire Chief
Fire Chief Jason de Roy has over 30 years of experience in fire service. He comes to the Township of Langley in 2023 from the North Vancouver City Fire Department, where he served as Deputy Fire Chief since 2021. de Roy served in additional roles as the Assistant Fire Chief at both the North Vancouver City Fire Department and District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services. He has extensive experience in fire suppression, training, and human resource policy and procedures. de Roy and his family are residents of the Township of Langley.
Organization
The Fire Department operates under the direction of the Fire Chief who is responsible to the Mayor and Council through the Township Administrator.
The Township of Langley Fire Department responds to over 8,000 emergency calls per year, ranging from structure fires to grass fires, auto extrication and backup for the BC emergency health services (BCEHS). The department also responds to approximately 300 complaints per year, ranging from burning complaints to reports of hazardous materials incidents.
In order to deliver the services needed to accomplish the department’s mission, the Fire Department is organized into three major divisions:
Operations/training
Responsible for the delivery of emergency services for fire and rescue, as well as backup emergency medical services. Also responsible for achieving and maintaining training so that the skills and expertise to accomplish the department’s stated mission are met.
Fire prevention/public education
Responsible for public education, inspections, pre-incident planning, building plan reviews, permits and investigations.
Administration
Responsible for maintaining the day-to-day activities and records of the department.
Our History
There have been active fire departments in Langley since 1929. The current Fire Department evolved from seven local community fire departments that were established between 1929 and 1977. The halls were numbered consecutively based on the date of their establishment. The seven areas served over those years were:
- 1929 – Hall 1 – Langley Prairie (now Langley City Fire Rescue Services)
- 1942 – Hall 2 – Fort Langley
- 1942 – Hall 3 – Aldergrove
- 1944 – Hall 4 – Willoughby
- 1953 – Hall 5 – Brookswood
- 1959 – Hall 6 – Murrayville
- 1977 – Hall 7 – Otter
- 1988 – Hall 8 – Walnut Grove
1963 marked the beginning of our modern fire department with the merging of Fire Halls 2 to 6 into a single fire area for the Township of Langley as well as creating a mutual aid agreement with the City of Langley. In 1981, the six fire departments in the Township were amalgamated under the Department’s first Fire Chief, Gord Yerkie. Since then, the Department has expanded with the addition of Fire Hall 8 in Walnut Grove and full-time suppression firefighters in 2006. Today, the Department consists of seven fire halls with full-time suppression firefighters, paid call firefighters, prevention, training, management and support staff.