It takes a community to prevent and respond to wildfires.
That’s exactly the message the town of Sidney is hoping to get across with its Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (CWRP).
From the impact of trees around their neighbourhood, roofing materials to critical infrastructure such as schools, energy facilities and hospitals, residents are encouraged to put in their two cents in the development of the CWRP.
The plan is being funded through the Union of B.C. Municipalities’ FireSmart Community Funding and Supports grant.
At an open house on Wednesday, Oct. 16, held at the Sidney Community Safety Building, residents attended a presentation organized by the town of Sidney Fire Department led by deputy fire chief Mike Harman and fire and emergency management officer Donna Barner.
Updates on the plans involving different action items and recommendations that can be done to mitigate the wildfire risk in the community were presented by Diamond Head Consultants, whose foresters are working alongside the fire department in assessing local risks to complete the plan in early 2025.
"We're doing a review of the community where we'll look at weather patterns, climate change, critical infrastructure, community resources, natural features and critical features," Mike Coutlhard, Diamond Head forester, said. "We then come on to the community to look at all the natural areas on public lands that are forested or natural. And so we assess the wildfire risk like what the fuel loading and the fire behaviour potential is of those areas."
Coulthard says they're "currently analyzing the data and starting to model fire behaviour potential that includes the threat of a fire actually occurring, how bad it would be and what would be at risk and where, which becomes the risk model for the community."
Recommendations will then be given and presented to the community after the completion of the plan.
The town of Sidney wants to hear from residents about the impacts caused by wildfire in the community and priorities for wildfire management through a survey (www.sidney.ca/services/emergency-services/ep/wildfire-2/), results of which will be considered in the development of the CWRP.
The fire department says they are halfway through the process, developing detailed recommendations for Sidney, with another three to four months left before
the completion of the plan which will be submitted to council.
