Increasing Resilience with FireSmart

By Mike Borkent - CSRD FireSmart

The CSRD FireSmart Program has received funding for two more years to help our local communities and landowners. After such devastating losses from the Bush Creek East fire last year, the FireSmart program seeks to help all South Shuswap residents increase their resilience to wildfire.

By fostering a culture of individual preparedness and collective action, the program hopes to minimize wildfire losses, safeguard lives, homes, and natural resources, and forge a path towards a safer, more resilient future for our communities. The local FireSmart representatives who implement the program are local firefighters – we want to work with our neighbours and communities.

The FireSmart program emphasizes proactive actions at both the individual and community levels, by creating defensible space around homes, using fire-resistant building materials, and implementing specific landscape management practices.

The CSRD FireSmart Program offers several ways to support individuals and communities:

Community groups can request an information session from a local representative, where they can learn more about the FireSmart program, home and community assessments.

Residents can request that a trained local representative come and assess their property. This free assessment is provided to the homeowner as an educational tool to assist them in implementing property-specific house and landscaping improvements. Information from this assessment is protected and not shared with any agencies or insurers.

Neighbourhood groups (which can be three or more homes on a street, or broader areas) can work together with a local representative to increase the resilience of their whole neighbourhood. This is strongly encouraged, since broader applications of FireSmart principles increase safety in an entire area, not just an individual property. There are also further supports that can be provided when a group of people work together to become a recognized FireSmart Neighbourhood.

To request or ask questions about any of these services and opportunities, please use the CSRD FireSmart request page (www.csrd.bc.ca/firesmart). A local representative will get in touch as soon as possible. Please be aware there is a lot of demand on the program at this time. In the meantime, you can get started yourself by using helpful resources from FireSmart BC and FireSmart Canada.

Resources at these sites include guides and videos on a number of topics including:

• performing a home self-assessment (which is less detailed than one by a local representative, but still helpful in getting you started).

• using specific landscaping practices, including planting fire resistant plants, shrubs, and trees.

• engaging in community clean ups.

Please reach out to us!

Let’s all work together to take proactive steps to protect our homes and communities from wildfire risks. We look forward to working with you!