Sunday July 9, 2023 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
BC Wildfire officials are urging people to pay continued attention to protecting their homes against the impacts of possible wildfires.
Weather has been dry for a prolonged period (since October 2022) and precipitation is minimal in the foreseeable forecast. There is presently a campfire ban across Vancouver Island until this fall and drought conditions declared for pretty much the entire island.
That includes in the South Vancouver Island region where until the last couple of years residents could count on generally warm (but not super hot) summers with at least some precipitation. This year, May and June saw very little precipitation and July has also rolled out with no rain.
All of this leaves forests floors and any ground area extremely dry and therefore more susceptible to sparks from lightning and any human-caused source (e.g. cigarette butts, machinery, and outdoor recreational vehicles).
FireSmart basics:
FireSmart BC is a multi-faceted program aimed at helping property owners and residents protect their homes in areas where wildfires can happen.
Basic things are recommended: mowing your lawn, cleaning gutters, and storing combustibles at least 10 metres away from the house.
Get the HomeOwner’s FireSmart BC Manual.
FireSmart BC initiatives:
Here are some statistics provided by the BC Wildfire Service (part of the Ministry of Forests) about the FireSmart BC program in 2022.
At the end of 2022 FireSmart BC recorded:
- 205 recognized FireSmart Neighbourhoods (nine percent increase from year prior)
- 206 new Local FireSmart Representatives (20 percent increase from year prior)
- 40 FireSmart Coordinators (150 percent increase from year prior)
- 47 Participating ‘HomePartners’ communities and First Nations
- 36 Plant Program Garden Centre partners
And the effort has become even more robust in 2023, as seen in current BC Wildfire Service stats.
Now mid-way into this year, there are over 50 FireSmart Coordinators, 50 Plant Program retailers, and 70 HomePartners locations.
There are over 30 Community FireSmart and Resiliency Committees (CFRCs) and 44 local governments have applied for Community Resilient Investment funding to form CFRCs.
===== RELATED:
Everyone in BC needs a grab-and-go-bag (July 5, 2023)
Being responsible: call-in about wildfires (July 5, 2023)
Collecting rainwater helps with CRD water supply (July 4, 2023)