Some fire departments now under the auspices of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District began as ambitious, community projects, depending entirely on volunteer effort and contributions. Groups and societies soon realized, however, that in order to operate a fire department to insurance and safety standards, a higher and more consistent level of funding would be necessary. So with local voter assent, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District assumed the departments as a function, funded entirely through equitable taxation of residents within the fire suppression area.

Other departments started from the ground up as a regional district function with area taxpayers funding the acquisition of land, buildings and equipment as well as operational costs. To ease the costs somewhat, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District has applied for and received provincial assistance in the form of grants usually covering 50% of the costs of fire hall construction.

The first Columbia Shuswap Regional District fire department was the Shuswap Volunteer Fire Department in Sorrento, assumed in 1978. The most recent is the Eagle Bay Volunteer Fire Department which began service in August 1991.