The Strathcona Regional District has received $200,000 in funding to support wildfire risk reduction in the area.
The regional district was awarded a grant through the Union of B.C. Municipalities FireSmart Community Funding and Supports program to help train fire departments in fighting wildfires, undertake FireSmart renovations for community buildings, do neighbourhood-level wildfire threat assessments, and offer free curbside wood debris chipping.
“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 SRD Board Chair Brad 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.”
The Electoral Area D and Quadra Island Wildfire Resiliency Plans (CWRPs) are available at www.srd.ca/wildfire-plans-maps.
“One of our strategic priorities is disaster risk reduction” said SRD Protective Services Coordinator Shaun Koopman. “The CWRPs identify the wildfire risks, to describe the potential consequences if a wildfire was to impact the community, and to examine possible ways to reduce the wildfire risk. Every community in the SRD now has an updated CWRP.”
To help locals understand these plans, the SRD will be hosting virtual public meetings for each community.
– Quadra Island: Tuesday, April 26 from 7 to 8 p.m. via Zoom https://srd-ca.zoom.us/j/81832318127
– Electoral Area D: Wednesday, April 27 from 7 to 8 p.m. via Zoom https://srd-ca.zoom.us/j/86781698545
Both sessions are 30-minutes long followed by 30 minutes for questions and answers. No preregistration is required.
RELATED: Province of B.C. commits to year-round wildfire service
Rays of hope emerge in rebuild of Lytton months after wildfire destruction
marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
