FireSmarting funds nearly doubled ahead of wildfire season

The B.C. Government is nearly doubling its investment to protect communities from wildfires this summer.

Forests Minister Katrine Conroy announced Friday that the province is investing as much as $90 million in a new Community Resilience Investment program that local governments and First Nations can access to increase wildfire protection through FireSmart activities over the next three years.

“Last year’s devastating fire season highlighted the importance of wildfire prevention for B.C. communities and, as we saw first-hand in Logan Lake, how it can make a real difference for people’s lives,” Conroy told a news conference.

“That’s why our government is more than doubling the funding available for wildfire prevention activities, like FireSmart, and making historic investments to transform BC Wildfire Service into a year-round, more proactive service.”

The funds will be administered by the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) in partnership with the First Nations Emergency Services Society.

Communities will be able to apply for funding to help cover the costs of projects.

The province is also working on improving partnerships with First Nations to develop wildfire mitigation and preparedness strategies, such as through cultural and prescribed burning.

“First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of B.C. is looking forward to the opportunity to continue serving First Nation communities in B.C., working with our program partners to deliver FireSmart community funding and supports,” said Quentin Nelson, mitigation manager, First Nations’ Emergency Services Society.

“These programs increase community resiliency, reduce risk from wildfire, and build capacity to support these initiatives.”

The newly announced funds build off a provincial commitment of $98-million over three years to fund wildfire prevention work and projects, and to maintain forest service roads across B.C.

An additional $26 million in capital funding is being used to increase capacity, address maintenance needs, and equip fire bases for future wildfire seasons.

The government is providing $359 million in new funding for the wildfire service in its 2022 budget which includes transforming the organization into a year-round service and adopting a more proactive, rather than reactive, approach.