West Kelowna firefighters had their hands full Tuesday.

The fire-filled day began at about 10:30 a.m., when someone cutting and grinding metal near Lower Glenrosa Road sparked a grass fire that quickly spread due to the strong winds.

Twenty West Kelowna firefighters, along with help from the Peachland Fire Department and the BC Wildfire Service, battled the blaze, saving two nearby buildings.

Just after 1 p.m., firefighters rushed to Carrington Road near Gellatly Road for another grass fire, quickly dousing that one as well. While West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said they couldn't pinpoint an exact cause, the fire was deemed human caused and there was evidence people had been camping in the area.

Finally, fire crews responded to a third wildfire in Rose Valley in the early evening. With the help of air support from the BC Wildfire Service, firefighters were able to contain the fire by 9 p.m. A cause of the third fire was not determined.

“In addition to the three fires we had yesterday, the firefighters also attended a very serious medical situation, a cardiac arrest, and performed CPR on a patient, and also hiked to the top of the Boucherie Rush Trail in order to bring down a patient who was in medical distress,” Brolund said.

“The reason we are all here is because we want to help the public, so days like yesterday are very rewarding. They're tiring for our staff but they're rewarding.”

Earlier this year, West Kelowna council approved funding for new firefighters, and Brolund says they'll have 20 new paid-on-call firefighters starting at the Rose Valley and Glenrosa fire stations by early July. Additionally, 10 new career firefighters will be assigned to the Lakeview Heights fire hall by the fall.

“It's very exciting for us, there'll be a lot of new faces coming,” Brolund said.

“The extra staff will be a huge benefit. Yesterday we relied on calling staff away from other things, be it paid-on-call firefighters who may have left their regular jobs to come fight the fire or career firefighters ... who come in off duty, drop what they're doing, with some even coming off of their vacation in order to support the cause.”

Brolund says it's important for the public to do their part in preparing their properties for fires using the FireSmart principles. West Kelowna is also offering grants to help cover some of the costs associated with FireSmart renovations.

Brolund says teamwork amongst fire departments is important for successful fire fights. 

“We hope we don't have many days like yesterday, but when they come, we do our best. The public should be confident that we all work together in the Central Okanagan. Yesterday we had support from Peachland and from Kelowna and from the BC Wildfire Service as well.”