The FireSmart Community Funding and Supports (FCFS) program will be closing its current intake for applications on January 30 due to a lack of funding. To ensure a fair process for administering the remaining funds available, the program will reopen on Monday February 2 with a competitive adjudicated grant process. This intake will receive applications until April 30.
The FCFS program provides provincial funding to First Nations and local governments in BC to increase community resiliency by undertaking community-based FireSmart planning and activities that reduce the community’s risk from wildfire.
“This program has played a critical role in reducing the risk posed by wildfire to B.C.’s communities,” said Councillor Cori Ramsay, UBCM president. “Our members tell us that this program works and that their communities are safer because of the activities it funds. As the province prepares its 2026 Budget, I have asked the Premier to prioritize renewing this funding. I encourage local government and First Nation recipients to also write to share their story about the benefits of this program.”
Details on the specific changes to program delivery are now available. UBCM will also host a webinar on February 4 to answer any questions regarding the changes to program administration and the impacts that the transition may have on approved projects and local FireSmart programs.
Local governments have a lengthy history of endorsed resolutions calling on the Province for long-term, sustainable funding for wildfire risk reduction. Local governments and First Nations that support continued funding for the FCFS program, may contact:
- The Honourable David Eby, Premier,
- The Honourable Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests, and
- Local members of the Legislative Assembly.
To date, 132 First Nations and 148 local governments have received funding through the FCFS. The Province has provided over $175 million for this program since 2018. An estimated $25 million remains for the intake that will open on February 2, and we anticipate these funds will be fully committed once the adjudication process is complete.
In addition to the shift to an adjudicated funding model, several other changes are being introduced to assist the management of the remaining funds, including:
- fuel management and impacts from wildfire will no longer be funded;
- eligible FireSmart activities were modified; and
- all funding requests will now also be limited to one-year projects.
The First Nations’ Emergency Services Society and the Union of BC Municipalities work with the Ministry of Forests (Ministry) to deliver the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports program.