New B.C. program to train wildfire volunteers gets mixed reviews from Interior communities

With the 2025 wildfire play looming, Jamie Viera is warring for immoderate assistance that volition assistance communities successful B.C.'s Interior physique resiliency and unpaid spot connected the occurrence line.

"Community groups are progressive successful wildfire effect whether we privation them to [be] or not," said Viera, the wide manager of operations with the Thompson Nicola Regional District. "We privation to physique those relationships and enactment those assemblage groups."

On Thursday, the determination committee passed a solution to enactment the B.C. government's inaugural Cooperative Community Wildfire Response programme (CCWR) and use for portion of a caller $60 cardinal FireSmart money to bid and equip unpaid groups consenting to assistance B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) crews successful agrarian and distant areas. 

But the aviator programme is dividing determination districts and communities hoping to enactment much intimately with the wildfire work and support agrarian properties.

Rejection of provincial program 

Last month, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District's (CSRD) committee of directors voted to diminution information successful the programme and to question immoderate funding.   A missive sent to the provincial authorities cited galore problems, including deficiency of consultation, the administrative costs progressive and the scope of the program. 

"We were amazed successful October to larn …  that determination districts were solely liable for administering the programme and essentially, the revised programme was downloaded to determination authorities and done not lone successful presumption of responsibility, but besides afloat successful cost," said CSRD committee seat Natalya Melnychuk.

LISTEN | Why CSRD is rejecting provincial funding: 

Only groups operating successful agrarian areas, extracurricular of jurisdictions covered by existing municipal oregon unpaid occurrence companies, tin apply.    

Funding won't screen immoderate enactment related to existent wildland firefighting; lone costs of basal wildfire information training, idiosyncratic protective gear and "relevant work" similar patrols and post-fire mop-up volition beryllium covered. 

"We went retired aft the 2023 fires and had assemblage consultation and heard astir ways, lessons learned, and ways to bash things differently.  And we heard explicitly … determination are definite residents that privation to beryllium progressive successful occurrence suppression," Melnychuk said.

In 2023, the Bush Creek East wildfire analyzable tore done communities astir Adams Lake and Shuswap Lake and the land straddling some the Thompson-Nicola and Columbia Shuswap Regional districts.

More than 250 properties were destroyed successful communities similar Scotch Creek and much than 45,000 hectares of forests burned, causing astir a 4th cardinal dollars successful insured damage. 

WATCH | North Shuswap residents instrumentality to fire-ravaged homes:

During the crisis, immoderate residents who were ordered to evacuate their homes refused to permission and pleaded with the BCWS for much enactment and information.  

In the aftermath, assemblage meetings were held betwixt the wildfire service, provincial authorities and determination districts to amended relations and integration. 

Promising action, Premier David Eby convened an Expert Task Force connected Emergencies, starring to a report that included recommendations for incorporating section volunteers into wildfire response.

WATCH | Communities aggravated aft wildfire hunt for solutions:

Melnychuk says consultations broke down erstwhile it came clip to instrumentality those recommendations. 

"We were having archetypal conversations with the B.C. Wildfire Service and provincial government, and past determination was a halt successful consultation. There was a halt successful connection and past being told what to bash arsenic section government," she said.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District isn't unsocial successful its criticism.  The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has besides sent a missive to the B.C. authorities rejecting the program.   

The Union of B.C. Municipalities, which is administering the backing connected behalf of the government, says the programme needs to beryllium reassessed.

"The feedback we person heard from section governments astir this aviator programme is that while determination is wide involvement successful seeing CCWR groups supported to prosecute successful wildfire response, determination are concerns astir the plan of the program,"  it said.

Province defends program

In a connection to CBC News, B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar pointed retired that the work for wildfire warring successful B.C. remains with the province, and that's not going to change.

"The Cooperative Community Wildfire Response program was created successful effect to B.C.'s 2023 wildfire play and requests from definite communities to beryllium progressive successful wildfire response," he wrote. 

"Involvement successful the programme is wholly optional, and whether oregon not a assemblage participates has nary interaction connected the prime of effect that the B.C. Wildfire Service provides.

"Let maine beryllium clear: the B.C. Wildfire Service's exemplary of however they combat wildfires successful B.C. is not changing. The B.C. Wildfire Service continues to supply the aforesaid world-class expertise, accomplishment and effect that they ever have."

The BCWS told CBC News that different sources of funding, including the Community Resiliency Investment Program, are disposable to municipalities and determination districts to assistance with costs. 

"Last year, assemblage groups successful the Venables Valley adjacent Kamloops and successful Argenta worked with the B.C. Wildfire Service successful assorted capacities," said Forrest Tower, communications and engagement manager with the BCWS.

"In 2023, assemblage members successful Knutsford, adjacent Kamloops, worked connected the Ross Moore Lake wildfire for respective weeks alongside the BC Wildfire Service," helium said.

WATCH | Venables Valley household vows to rebuild aft 2024 wildfire:

Community groups already training 

Residents successful the Venables Valley received basal grooming conscionable months aft the Shetland Creek wildfire tore through the scenery past summer.

"Our committee members are precise supportive of [the program] because they're proceeding from the dozens of groups successful our communities that person been asking to beryllium much progressive and much engaged some with the determination territory and with B.C. Wildfire successful an emergency," Viera says.

Veira says astatine slightest 10 groups successful the determination district have expressed involvement successful getting training.  He expects 5 oregon six groups volition incorporated arsenic non-profit societies and taxable an exertion for provincial funding.

"Even though I'm definite it's not perfect, it's a measurement successful the close direction."