Wildfire plan in the works

The City of West Kelowna is looking for your input before putting the final touches on its new Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan.

The plan, last updated in 2018 is a requirement of the province.

“The plan provides an assessment of our community’s needs and the wildfire risk as it exists today,” West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund told city council Tuesday.

“These plans are the basis for which we receive funding to undertake wildfire mitigation.”

An outline of the plan and a survey are available at outwk.ca. An open house with details on the proposed plan will also be held Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. at West Kelowna city hall.

Brolund says the plan follows a provincial template and focuses on the seven key FireSmart principles of public education, legislation and planning, development considerations, inter-agency cooperation, cross training, emergency planning and vegetation management.

He says there are two core components to the plan, a series of about 20 recommendations along with a series of maps outlining wildfire mitigation in the community.

“Those maps outline and prioritize wildfire mitigation activities that need to happen in the community in the next five years or so. We call those treatment units, and there are 60 proposed in the plan.

“They range from a little half hectare city park up to a 1,000 plus hectare area behind the community.

“Some are more easily achievable and some of them are more aspirational.”

Brolund says the treatment units are ranked in order of importance and are all science-based.

Public consultation concludes Nov. 4.

Once that is complete, a final plan will be presented to council Dec. 10.