qathet, BC – The qathet Regional District is excited to announce 12 Volunteer Wildfire Mitigation Specialists were trained during a 4 day FireSmart Home Partners Program course. These volunteers are now qualified to complete home assessments as part of the FireSmart program. The assessment process evaluates a home and property for wildfire exposure, while engaging the homeowner in their unique risk and outlining ways to reduce it.
The FireSmart program is designed to engage homeowners in voluntary wildfire mitigation activities by offering a free professional home assessment with property-specific recommendations for area residents. By completing the FireSmart assessment recommendations, homeowners may be eligible for a rebate of up to $1000 and may also receive a mitigation certificate from the FireSmartBC Home Partners program.
The FireSmart Home Partners Program is a collaboration between FireSmart Canada, FireSmart BC, provincial governments, local governments, Indigenous communities, the private sector and homeowners in Canada. The qRD has received support for FireSmart initiatives from the Province of BC through the Community Resiliency Investment program.
“The qRD’s FireSmart Program has been offering assessments since 2017 and is keen to increase the number of homes we are able to assess,” said Ryan Thoms, Manager of Emergency Services, qathet Regional District. “This new training is an improvement toward providing even better FireSmart guidance for residents across our region.”
Residents who are interested in scheduling their free assessment can email our FireSmart Coordinator at firesmart.qrd@gmail.com to get started. Residents who take steps to reduce fire risks on their properties, provide a better opportunity for firefighters to defend the community in the event of a wildfire.
About the qathet Regional District:
The qathet Regional District serves the rural areas from Lund to sḵelhp (Saltery Bay), the City of Powell River, Texada Island, Savary Island, and Lasqueti Island. The qRD provides some services, through contract, to Tla’amin Nation. To learn more please visit qathet.ca.
CONTACT:
Ryan Thoms, Manager of Emergency Services
#202 – 4675 Marine Avenue
Powell River, BC V8A 2L2
P: 604∙485∙2260 | E: emergency@qathet.ca