Hosting a block party in a high-risk neighbourhood along the wildland-urban interface is one way to provide hands-on education and mitigation strategies when it comes to wildfire.
In essence, the Township of Spallumcheen hosted an all-inclusive block party for its residents Tuesday, April 8.
The township held an event involving a barbecue and beverages to help its residents with information on emergency preparedness and FireSmarting their properties.
"The open house was to introduce our new FireSmart coordinators and talk about some of the events we have going this year," said Lisa Gyorkos, the township's manager of strategic priorities. "Residents will be able to get a pre-assessment on their home, and, later on, we will offer a rebate program so residents can get some money back to help FireSmart their properties."
With the recent rise in large-scale wildfires, including last summer's Hullcar Mountain blaze, the township has been working over the past three years to make FireSmarting a commitment.
Part of that commitment was hiring FireSmart coordinators Marc and Alexis Szarek, the founders of Bloom Flower Festivals. They are the dual FireSmart coordinators to lead wildfire preparedness efforts for the township. They were present at the open house Tuesday.
鈥淎lexis and Marc provide such value to the program as they are a part of our agricultural community with strong ties in the community," said Mayor Christine Fraser. "As a team they bring knowledge and first hand experience in both large scale event management and first hand firefighting. We are excited to have them help us ensure our community is prepared in the event of wildfire.鈥�
Drought conditions are being projected for the North Okanagan this summer, increasing the chances of a wildfire.
"We're asking everybody to have a plan in place, especially farm properties," said Gyorkos. "Have emergency information readily available, even if you can leave it at the end of your driveway if you're in an evacuation zone, that fire fighters will need to know about the property in the event of an emergency, and have a plan in place for yourself, your family, and your animals if necessary."
The township is looking for volunteers for its emergency support services program.
"If anybody is interested in volunteering to help out during emergencies, they can contact us and I can even give you a bit of information if it helps about what those people would do," said Gyorkos, who be reached at the township office at 250-546-3013.
The neighbouring City of Armstrong invited residents to participate in a Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan information gathering session Wednesday, April 9,
As part of the FireSmart Program, Armstrong is seeking the community鈥檚 input to help develop a Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (CWRP).
"This plan will guide wildfire risk reduction efforts and support the implementation of FireSmart strategies throughout the community," the city said.
Residents are encouraged to share their experiences, concerns, and priorities related to wildfire risks and preparedness.
"Community feedback will play a key role in informing strategies to better protect Armstrong from the threat of wildfires," said the city.
In late February the City of Armstrong announced Shari McDowell as its new FireSmart coordinator.
