With wildfire resilience growing as a trend in home improvement, regional FireSmart coordinators set up at the Campbell River Home Show last weekend (Nov. 1 to 3) to raise awareness about how to be FireSmart.
Jeff Caring, the FireSmart coordinator for Strathcona Regional District, said the goal was to provide valuable tips and resources for homeowners to protect their properties from wildfire by using FireSmart strategies. FireSmart is a program aimed at enhancing community resilience to wildfires throughout B.C. and Canada.
Some of these recommendations included conducting a home ignition zone assessment, designed to help residents reduce their home's and property's susceptibility to wildfires, he said.
While the majority of wildfire resiliency efforts in the province concentrate in regions that have faced the most severe wildfires in B.C.'s history, like on the Mainland and in the Okanagan, Caring said FireSmart practices are increasingly gaining traction in coastal areas, including Vancouver Island.
FireSmarting your home has been proven to be effective as evident in recent large scale wildfires in other parts of the province and across Canada, he said.
"You'll notice in the aftermath of these (major wildfire) events, there will seem like oddities where houses burned down and there is one in the middle still standing, and the question is: well, how did that happen? It comes down to FireSmart," Caring said.
READ MORE: Oyster River Fire Rescue open house highlights importance of wildfire resiliency
To learn more about how you can protect your home, visit www.firesmartbc.ca or contact SRD's FireSmart coordinator at 250-914-9234 | wrr@srd.ca.
