Editor:
BC is facing its worst wildfire season on record, with over 2 million ha burned and several hundred properties damaged or destroyed in the Shuswap, and Okanagan. Thankfully, the Sunshine Coast has been spared any serious wildfire activity. Our moist climate has made devastating, stand destroying, wildfire a rarity. However, that is rapidly changing as increasingly warm dry summers elevate the risk of a serious wildfire. With so much of our residential property either in the wildland interface or within the forest itself, the risk for loss of property (and life) is high. The complacency of all levels of government in preparing for the inevitable wildfire means it falls to individual residents to make what preparation they can. Fortunately, there is quite a lot that proactive individuals can do to protect themselves and their property. The SCRD commissioned the “Community Wildfire Protection Plan” (CWPP) in 2021. Although the SCRD seems not to have acted on any of the high priority recommendations in this plan it is available on the SCRD website and includes a wealth of information useful to residents. Individual residents can also request that the fire department conduct a FireSmart assessment of their property or do their own using the online guide. FireSmart offers many useful ideas for reducing the risk to your property from wildfire.
Critical individual actions are to have all important papers together in an easily accessible box and plan your escape route in case of evacuation notice. But there are also obvious modifications to landscaping, tree and shrub management, and other actions that individuals can take to reduce fire risk. Prodding your elected officials to take seriously the recommendations in the CWPP is also a good idea.
Michael Healey, Gibsons
