South Green Lake FireSmart work bee a tremendous success

FireSmart work bee a tremendous success

South Green Lake Local FireSmart Representative (LFR) Bob Bell said the Bravo Neighbourhood Work Bee on Sept. 24 was a huge success.

The event was held on forest land between the South Green Lake Fire Hall and residential property.

Bravo Neighbourhood champion Patricia Graham said she was pleased with the turnout for the work bee. She added they had 16 people show up to remove woody debris.

“It was a successful effort,” Bell said, adding four trailer-loads of woody debris were dropped off at the 70 Mile Eco Depot, and two burn piles were built.

“The piles will be burned this winter when it's safe to do so,” he added.

Thompson-Nicola Regional District FireSmart (TNRD) coordinators Dan Funk and Kimberly McMillan came to the work bee and jumped right into removing woody debris, which helped the Fire Hall and the homes and cabins in the area become more resilient to wildfires.

They also provided a BBQ lunch and some FireSmart swag for the volunteers, which was greatly appreciated.

Graham added a big thank you goes to Funk and McMillan for all of their help.

McMillan said she and Dan were happy to be asked to join the South Green Lake Bravo wildfire clean-up day.

“The South Green Lake community is a pioneer when it comes to FireSmart. A wildfire clean-up event like this has a positive impact on reducing the fuel load in the area, which in turn, strengthens a community's resiliency against wildfire.”

Other work bees

The South Green Lake FireSmart crew will be having two more FireSmart work bees in October and would welcome some volunteer help.

The next work bee is for the Parkway Neighbourhood on Access 12 road on Oct. 7, starting at 10 a.m. The work bee should be finished around noon.

Snacks and beverages will be available, but volunteers should bring their own gloves and wear boots and safety glasses. Beverages and snacks will be provided.

The Parkway Neighbourhood is the third neighbourhood set up by the South Green Lake FireSmart crew.

It took a while to establish it.

The problem was the neighbourhood, which covers the properties from the end of Sunset View Provincial Park to the end of South Green Lake Road, has significantly fewer full-time resident property owners than the two other South Green Lake neighbourhoods, so it was difficult to find a Neighbourhood Champion.

Fortunately, Steve Baker, who is a Captain and First Aid Trainer for the South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department, stepped up to take on the Neighbourhood Champion role.

Now, the South Green Lake FireSmart crew has FireSmart coverage in every South Green Lake neighbourhood.

The crew recently distributed FireSmart self-assessment brochures to South Green Lake property owners so they can make their homes, cabins and properties more resilient to wildfire.

If you have an FireSmart questions, please call LFR Ken Alexander at 250-456-7496 or at topdrawer1948@gmail.com, or LFR Bob Bell at 250-395-0622 or at bmbell319@gmail.com.

Third work bee

The third FireSmart work bee is for the Gateway Neighbourhood which starts at Point Road and goes as far as Access Road 6. Volunteers would be welcomed to join the event.

The work bee will continue FireSmarting the boulevard between Green Lake South Road and the property access road.

Volunteers are asked to bring their gloves and wear boots and safety glasses.

Beverages and snacks will be provided.