Maple Ridge RCMP commander shares wildfire emergency expertise

Maple Ridge RCMP detachment commander Supt. Martin Guay shared his wildfire emergency experience with police leaders at the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police annual summit in Edmonton on Aug. 18.

Guay spoke to about 700 police chiefs and senior officers from across Canada. Before becoming officer in charge in Maple Ridge, he served as the B.C. RCMP Gold Commander during the 2023, 2024 and 2025 wildfire seasons, setting priorities and allocating RCMP resources within the gold-silver-bronze command structure.

He said police have two central duties during wildfire evacuations: notifying people that they must leave and protecting evacuated communities from offences such as looting. The work can be complicated when residents refuse to leave, and when children want to remain with parents in an evacuation zone.

Guay also addressed organizational resilience and deployment pressures, noting that officers may be required to work 15 consecutive days during an emergency. As gold commander, he oversaw provincewide operations from the RCMP’s E Division headquarters in Surrey rather than attending fire scenes.

He said increasing numbers of police services are dealing with wildfires. Guay presented on the subject to an international police leadership program in Los Angeles last year, but said his current command role prevents him from making the time commitment required to serve in wildfire operations this season.