Intense wildfire season prompts more residents in the Okanagan and Similkameen to FireSmart their properties

The extremely volatile fire season this summer has led to the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen seeing significant interest in their FireSmart programs as residents want to protect their homes and neighbourhoods.

Sean Vaisler, the Emergency Services Manager for the RDOS explained that this is the year for FireSmart.

“Individuals want to become more FireSmart, obviously, over with the climate of the wildfires happening this year and the fires happening in 2017 and 2018. And in the Interior region here, our information out and over to the public is we want individuals to become FireSmart, to be a part of a FireSmart neighborhood, and community and take the seven fire smart principles and include that in their property,” he said.

Education, Emergency Planning, Vegetation Management, Legislation, Development, Interagency Corporation, and Cross-training are the seven disciplines in the program.

“That means you remove the vegetation from their property and around their property, joining a FireSmart community and working with the local individuals and the volunteers to assist them over with their property.”

The RDOS received $750,000 in the spring of 2021 through the Community Resiliency Investment Program (CRI), which is intended to reduce the risk of wildfires and mitigate the impacts in communities across the Province.

“It has been a very proactive tool for us to get out in the community over development plans and then also have a rebate to the program, much like the City of Penticton here has a home partners program, the Regional District has a rebate program.”

This program is able to provide certain funding to the individuals that will, in turn, help them FireSmart their property and offers $500 in rebates to residents who take steps to FireSmart their homes.

“So if I had to hire an arborist and spend a ton of money on my property, I could even apply for a bursary from the Regional District and the fire smarter program to assist with recouping funding for that.”

The RDOS has existing FireSmart Committees located in six of the nine Electoral Areas and has hosted four FireSmart Community Days and chipping events.

The District of Logan Lake is a shining example of a community that has been certified as FireSmart; something was key last week when the Tremont Creek wildfire looked poised to cause significant damage to homes in the municipality.

Vaisler also pointed to the residences in Anarchist Mountain being well prepared with FireSmart, even though some properties were lost during the Nk’Mip Creek Wildfire.

“The reports in the end by BC wildfire are going to state that but for our communities here our biggest thing is ensuring that the properties and neighborhoods are fire smarted and that will in turn, hopefully, reduce the vulnerability of a wildfire occurring within their community.”

Five major wildfires have occurred within the Regional District so far this summer.

“It is extremely important for individuals to FireSmart their properties, we are seeing an increase in temperatures and the longer fire seasons here in the Regional District….You can take over to reduce your vulnerability as it is becoming ever important in our community here, as we're seeing major wildfires this year.”

For more information about becoming FireSmart, visit the RDOS website here.