qathet Regional District (qRD) board will consider applying to Union of British Columbia Municipalities to extend the FireSmart program.
At the October 15 qRD committee of the whole meeting, Electoral Area D director and committee of the whole chair Sandy McCormick said she thought the program was terrific and hopes it can continue into the future for as long as funding is available.
Electoral Area C director Clay Brander said he concurred with McCormick. He said he was at Lang Bay Hall at a recent plant sale, sitting next to FireSmart coordinator Marc Albert, and noted there was a lot of interest in the program. Brander said he supported the application.
Electoral Area E director Andrew Fall said the program is great and he supports the recommendation.
McCormick said while she hasn’t had Albert come out and do an assessment of her property, she knows from her experience that Albert’s influence extends beyond individual property visits, and that people are embracing FireSmart principles.
“His influence extends beyond the actual number of assessments that he makes,” said McCormick. “It’s a very valuable program.”
In addition to the application for funding, the committee recommended the board endorse carrying out the 2021 regional FireSmart program collaboratively with Tla’amin Nation and City of Powell River, and that qRD receive and manage the grant funding on behalf of all three local governments to provide overall grant management of the program.
According to a staff report, FireSmart is the term used to describe the public education principles developed to enable property owners to make informed decisions about their homes and properties, including building materials, maintenance and landscaping decisions, to improve public safety, as well as increasing individual property and neighbourhood resiliency to damage from wildland urban interface fires.
