Chetwynd "Chainsaw Sculpture Capitol of the World".
Chetwynd was once known as “Little Prairie” but with the coming of the Pacific Great Eastern Railroad in 1957, the name of the community was changed to Chetwynd in honor of the Minister in charge of railroads, Ralph Chetwynd. In 1962 Chetwynd became incorporated as a Village and has approximately 2,500 residents.
Each year in June, Chetwynd holds its annual
Chetwynd International Chainsaw Carving Championship where master chainsaw carvers from around the world compete. There are now around 200 chainsaw carvings displayed throughout the community.
The Chetwynd Volunteer Fire Dept. consists of 30 active volunteers including the Fire Chief, Dan Golob.
Chetwynd Volunteer Fire Dept. shares this location with the visitor center and the ambulance service. It has three bay doors and is one story. "Stay Back 50 m" is boldly written on each door.
Equipment used by the department are a pumper truck, ladder truck, initial response vehicle and a rescue vehicle. The Chetwynd Volunteer Fire Dept. responds to fires within the designated fire boundary of the District of Chetwynd and motor vehicle rescues beyond the boundaries.
The Chetwynd Fire Dept. was established in 1962, the same year the District of Chetwynd was incorporated. Prior to that a Chetwynd Fire Brigade had been organized in the late 1950’s.