Whereas the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports FCFS program is administered by UBCM to provide critical funding to First Nations and local governments for FireSmart planning and mitigation activities that reduce community wildfire risk; And whereas, due to a lack of funding, the FCFS program transitioned to a competitive, adjudicated intake which creates uncertainty and reduces local governments ability to sustain ongoing wildfire risk reduction capacity; And whereas communities throughout British Columbia rely on FCFS funding to deliver local wildfire risk reduction initiatives, and funding instability, reduction and uncertainty creates downstream impacts on staffing retention and multi-year planning that undermines the continuity and effectiveness of local wildfire risk reduction efforts: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to reinstate stable, predictable, long-term funding for the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports program sufficient to support ongoing local FireSmart staffing and mitigation operations, and to ensure communities can plan and implement multi-year wildfire risk reduction initiatives.
