Better to be safe than sorry.
No different than the Salmon Valley Fire Department, who held a FireSmart event over the weekend, fire departments across the region are stressing the importance of fireproofing your home well in advance of any potential wildfires.
FireSmart Canada is currently having a national campaign to get communities inline in hopes of reducing potential risks should a wildfire come through the community.
The campaign is focused on limiting possible fuel-risks that may be lying in and around residents’ homes. The goal of events such as the one held in Salmon Valley is to have community members learn how they can FireSmart their homes and properties.
Bobbi Carpino, a volunteer firefighter in Salmon Valley, recently talked with MyPGNow on measures that residents can take in ensuring to limit any risks when it comes to their homes and property.
“We encourage people to remove anything from their house at least ten metres that could ignite,” said Carpino. “What we’re really concerned about is the embers as they’re coming in because they could ignite so quickly.”
Carpino adds that being proactive is important, and could very well be a life-changer.
“We can’t just sit here and cover our eyes and our ears and pretend like it’s not going to happen,” said Carpino. “It could be a matter of minutes and we’re just scrambling to get out of the community. So people just need to understand how quickly this could happen and how serious it is.”
Emergency Services Coordinator from the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, Anite deDreu also is stressing the importance of having important belongings ready to go in the event of an evacuation being ordered.
“People just don’t have what is most important to them ready to go,” deDreu told MyPGNow. “For example, we have a list of important documents that you may want to consider having ready and ready in your grab-n-go bag so you aren’t scrambling at the last minute.”
deDreu says copies of birth certificates, passports, social insurance numbers, banking information is all things to consider having ready in the event of a worst-case scenario. She also adds that the Regional District suggests residents try to change their renewal date to the off-season so then there aren’t any issues during wildfire season.
A full list of suggested documents to have copied and prepared can be found at the Regional District’s website.
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