Fire Departments across the Regional District of Nanaimo will benefit from an approximately $120,000 Community Emergency Preparedness Fund grant to acquire fire suppression equipment.
According to the RDN, firefighters across the region will have the proper equipment they need, with this money, to stop growing wildfires in the area. They say the new equipment is very close to what BC Wildfire Service already uses, making fighting fires easier for local and provincial agencies.
Fire Chiefs from Qualicum Beach, Dashwood, Coombs-Hiller and Nanoose Bay Fire Departments say they all agree that receiving the equipment is a positive step forward in combating wildfires and this shows a substantial effort towards working collaboratively for the same result.
Peter Cornell says this grant, and purchase, will provide benefits across the region.
“This joint project is another example of the ability and commitment to our local fire rescue departments to work collectively,” Cornell says.
The RDN says the new equipment will be kept in two strategic locations to provide a rapid response to a wildfire.
According to the province, BC saw more than 2.84 hectares of forest and land burned in 2023 resulting in hundreds of homes lost or damaged, and over 10,000 people evacuated.
