By Pete McIntyre

Grant sparks FireSmart programs

Jul 29, 2019 | 5:32 PM

The Regional District of North Okanagan will use a provincial grant to reduce the fire risk in certain areas, and educate residents on fire-smarting their properties.

RDNO has received $100,000 from the province, part of which will go into fuel hazard assessments for three at-risk community hubs.

“Once the assessments are completed, local workshops will be held about risk-reduction methods specific to the three communities. Staff are working to determine the three most at-risk community hubs to complete these assessments,” stated a news release from RDNO

A fuel hazard assessments and mitigation plan will be put together for the east end of the BX Dog Park, and for the Bluenose area of Electoral Area D.

“The Bluenose area will also receive treatment for the identified fuels,” said the release.

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Multiple community FireSmart workshops will be held around the North Okanagan.

“By incorporating so much education into the ways we are using the grant money, we are investing in a FireSmart region. It’s kind of like the old saying, if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime,” said Alastair Crick, Manager of Emergency Services, RDNO.

“We want people in our community to be FireSmart for life, and that can be achieved by teaching them how to identify risks and take small actions to make their house more resilient to wildfire.”

Crick added fires need three elements to ignite: oxygen, heat and fuel.

“Of these factors, fuel is the only one that can be managed in a preventative way, which is why the funding is focused on identifying areas with problematic fuels, creating mitigation plans, and teaching people how to spot and remove/reduce fuels on their own properties.”

The $100,000 grant comes from the Union of BC Municipalities Community Resiliency Investment Program.

by Pete McIntyre

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