FireSmart activities (Photo credit: RDCO)

By Pete McIntyre

RDCO

Regional district gets grant for wildfire risk reduction

Mar 10, 2022 | 2:40 PM

Activities to prevent wildfires in the Central Okanagan are getting a funding boost from the province.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) has been awarded a $250,000 grant for FireSmart community projects.

The money will be used to hire a FireSmart coordinator for one year for projects associated with wildfire risk reduction in electoral areas East and West.

The coordinator will develop a Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan, assist with residential fire reduction assessments and provide FireSmart awareness, outreach and a grant program for residents in the electoral areas.

A portion of the funds will be used to develop fuel management prescriptions for three regional parks (Mill Creek, Kalamoir and a portion of Scenic Canyon) and to complete an 8.7-hectare fuel reduction project in Kalamoir Regional Park.

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The funding is provided by the B.C Government through the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Community Resiliency Investment Fund. The RDCO will contribute an additional $30,000 towards the FireSmart programming.

RDCO Engineering Services director David Komaike said they are extremely grateful to the UBCM for the funding that acknowledges the important FireSmart work planned to assist residents in the electoral areas.

“The FireSmart program and practices are proven to reduce the severity of wildfire and this grant will help many property owners with their emergency preparedness. Over the years, the Regional District has completed fire fuel reduction projects on hundreds of hectares in many of our regional parks, especially closest to interface neighbourhoods. These new funds will help us continue to expand that work,” said Komaike.