Last week UBCM announced changes to the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports program as funding runs low. UBCM is calling on the Province for sustained funding for the essential program. UBCM President Cori Ramsay spoke to CBC about how this funding program has helped communities mitigate against wildfire risk.
West Kelowna’s fire chief Jason Brolund reiterated in several interviews that wildfires cost the province millions in recovery. “We’re spending the money on the wrong end of the problem,” he said. “If we could use a fraction of those funds towards prevention, that’s where we will make a difference in these wildfire situations. FireSmart is the way we do that.”
Okanagan area fire chiefs fear a return to a competitive funding model, where they must demonstrate the need and vie for funds among neighbours. “We fully understand that there are different priorities and competing priorities, but this funding was actually being put to use,” said Kelowna Fire Chief Dennis Craig. “It was making a difference in communities and resiliency.”