Members of the Canim Lake and Forest Grove community are being invited to learn more about FireSmart this Victoria Day long weekend.
On Saturday, May 18 at Forest Grove Fire Hall Two (Canim Lake) the South Canim Lake FireSmart Group is hosting a FireSmart Presentation and Community Info Session. From 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. anyone with questions about or an interest in making sure their home has been FireSmarted is invited to come out to learn over a cup of coffee.
“Anybody can come. The FireSmarting aspect is quite common sense,” organizer Andy Hird said. “We’ve all heard about global warming and where that is and the unfortunate side of it is that this year, Canim Lake, we’re about two or three feet down on where we normally are and the creeks are slowing already. We’ve already had a big fire up Quesnel and I don’t want to scaremonger but anything we can do to mitigate (fire risks) when it comes to our homes is good.”
As a member of the Forest Grove Volunteer Fire Department for the last four years, Hird knows how easily a fire can spread if given the right fuel and conditions. That’s why he helped form the South Canim Lake FireSmart Group and has taken steps to ensure his own property is clear of debris.
Most of what makes a property FireSmart is just common sense, Hird reiterated. After picking up a brochure from his fire hall he started cleaning up leaves, removing old dead wood and other simple precautions around his property. He started to spread the word around his neighbourhood and has helped several of his neighbours clean up their own properties. Eventually, Hird said that one of the group’s members, Bob Schwartz, connected with Leanne Sallenback of South Point Resort and their group started to grow.
Saturday won’t be the first time the group has organized an information event. Hird said they did one around Easter which attracted 20 people and he’s hoping to get more people this time around.
“It’s a long weekend and a Saturday morning. It’s at a time when everyone should be up and about, can come to this meeting, listen to what we have to say and go back home and do an afternoon of fire-smarting,” Hird said. “Then they have the Sunday and Monday and whatever else (to themselves).”
Hird encourages anyone who lives in and around Canim Lake and Forest Grove to attend, especially those who live in the Cariboo part-time. He explained that whenever storms come through the area he finds the tops of trees and lots of branches get knocked to the ground, so you have to make sure you FireSmart your property regularly.
“You see that we should get rid of the leaves, any debris on the corners. You’d be surprised if you have a corner, you’ll have a couple of leaves in it. If you get ember cast from a fire it gets into the leaves it pretty quickly gets the leaves going,” Hird said. “If there’s any wood or fuel anywhere close, then your house can go up.”
