The Village of Burns Lake has hired a temporary FireSmart coordinator to help local residents understand the potential of wildfire affecting their homes and the community.
Funded through a grant from the Union of B.C. Municipalities, the FireSmart coordinator will complete an assessment of Burns Lake for FireSmart readiness and create a committee to provide guidance and assistance with the purpose of protecting local homes.
In addition, the FireSmart coordinator will provide input to the village’s official community plan, which is currently being reviewed by council, and develop policies to encourage homeowners to participate in FireSmart practices.
“It is important to support residents to undertake FireSmart planning activities,” said Sheryl Worthing,
Chief Administrative Officer for the Village of Burns Lake. “It will help to develop and advance local planning efforts to mitigate risk from wildfire on private lands in the wildland-urban interface.”
In 1999, Partners in Protection - a multidisciplinary non-profit association - created the FireSmart brand and published a comprehensive technical manual titled ‘FireSmart protecting your community from wildfire.’ According to the association, preparing for the threat of wildfire is a shared responsibility - of home owners, industry and government.
This is the first time that Burns Lake has hired a FireSmart coordinator.
Jesse Bird was the person chosen for this position and his contract ends in March 2017.