Residents in the Upper Squamish Valley are preparing to deal with wildfire threats as hot, dry conditions have meant an early start to fire season.
The community has received a grant to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District from the province to help reduce wildfire risk.
“We haven’t exactly decided how to split that up,” Area D Director Tony Rainbow told The Squamish Chief.
With the grant, the province was responding to concerns raised by the regional district last fall about the impact from wildfires in areas such as the Elaho Valley, saying it was announcing an additional $10 million for its Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative.
One of the major projects will be to provide some support for the Upper Squamish Valley residents with about $2,500 of the grant.
The regional district is not directly involved in fire service, although it can support residents with their own efforts.
“If a house is on fire, we can’t touch it,” Rainbow said.
Unlike some areas of the region such as Britannia Beach, which pays for its own fire department, the Upper Squamish does not have local fire protection. When fires spread onto Crown land, they become a provincial responsibility.
What the SLRD can do is work with the residents to help reduce the risk of a fire starting or spreading, largely through measures such as public education. This happens through programs like FireSmart, which is what the provincial grant covers.
“This is to help the residents obtain community FireSmart recognition,” SLRD emergency program manager Ryan Wainwright.
The plan is to reduce the risk posed by the proximity of tall trees to properties or woodpiles that can help fires spread, especially in dangerous wind conditions. Residents can take measures to reduce the chance of flames reaching their homes.
“If they all did that, they’d reduce the risk of their houses burning immeasurably,” Rainbow said.
“It could be all the difference between losing houses and not losing them.”
The residents met this spring with the regional district and BC Wildfire Service about the program. Wainwright said residents are doing an assessment of risk for properties in the area and putting together a list of equipment needed if they choose to have a means to keep the flames under control.
“We’re letting the community take the lead on this,” he said.
The agenda from the April 27 regional district board meeting also makes reference to the SLRD seeking legal advice on a contribution agreement that would help the emergency program track the wildfire preparedness of communities and increase cooperation between the regional district and community groups with an interest in wildfire protection and prevention.
While fire service would remain a responsibility of a local community, the regional district area director does have some discretionary funding available, although the provincial FireSmart grant is to be used specifically for measures to help reduce the risk of fires from starting and spreading.
Last summer, there were a few large fires, mostly in the north of the district. The Elaho, the largest, was discovered on June 14 when it had spread to about 20,000 hectares. The smoke from the fires spread through the corridor, including Squamish, affecting air quality for weeks. For more on the SLRD’s Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initative, visit www.slrd.bc.ca.
