Learning to prevent and battle potential summer wildfires will be possible through funding this year.
The Strathcona Regional District has received $200,000 through the Union of BC Municipalities FireSmart Community Funding and Supports grant. The funding will be used for the following wildfire prevention activities:
- Wildfire training for fire departments
- FireSmart renovations for community buildings
- Neighbourhood-level wildfire threat assessments
- Free curbside wood debris chipping
The funding’s neighbourhood assessments help to prevent wildfires, as each circumstance is unique.
“One of our strategic priorities is disaster risk reduction,” said SRD protective services coordinator Shaun Koopman. “The community wildfire resiliency plans identify the wildfire risks, describe the potential consequences if a wildfire was to impact the community, and examine possible ways to reduce the wildfire risk.”
Koopman adds every SRD communities’ resiliency plans have been updated. The plans can be found here.
Thirty-minute public sessions about the plans will be held for Quadra Island on April 26 from 7 to 8 p.m. and for Electoral Area D on April 27. The meetings will be held via Zoom.
SRD board chair Brad Unger says there is not a safe spot from wildfires in the SRD, and everyone has responsibilities for prevention.
“An interface fire is a severe and likely threat regardless of which community in the SRD that you reside in, and I know decreasing wildfire risk is a top priority of our residents,” said Unger. “Building resiliency to wildfire is the responsibility of all levels of society from the highest level of government to the homeowner and neighbourhood level.”
