The City of Nanaimo says with the hot and dry weather, residents should endeavor to make their homes FireSmart and reduce the risk of wildfires spreading into their homes.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the province has seen 1,475 fires so far this year, 465 are active and 19 have been ignited within the past 24 hours.
Emergency Program manager Evan Lloyd says there is a common misconception surrounding homes and wildfires and how they catch fire in these circumstances.
“Homes are not destroyed by wildfires, but rather by airborne embers which can be thrown many kilometers ahead of the actual flame,” Lloyd said. “What this program will teach people is how maintenance plays a pivotal role in helping the spread of fire.”
According to FireSmart Canada, there are three cost-effective ways to maximize their home protection; by maintaining their surroundings at least twice a year, complete simple upgrades, and complete more complex upgrades.
Lloyd says the biggest impact homeowners can make is as easy as yard and lawn maintenance.
“How homeowners maintain the immediate area around their home by cleaning gutters, and debris can have the biggest impact on wildfire resiliency,” he said. “Ideally people should be conscious about moving fuel sources such as wood piles and propane tanks away from the side of the house.”
Lloyd says the city isn’t looking for perfect properties when it comes to owners getting assessments, but any little bit helps.
“Assessors usually give a score after they look at a property and it is rare to see a perfect rating,” he saidys. “It is not about getting a perfect score we are just looking for people to make improvements to their properties.”
Lloyd says neighbourhoods in Nanaimo have already banded together to help make homes FireSmart and he feels this would be advantageous to making other areas more resilient.
“We are really excited to see community engagement around FireSmart for neighbourhood-level mitigation work,” he said. “Protection Island has a great community group when it comes to debris cleanup to improve resilience.
“We would love to see it in other neighborhoods across Nanaimo as well.”
According to BC Wildfire Service there have been 183 fires in the Coastal Fire Centre, 36 of which are still active.
