June 29, 2023 | 11 a.m. PT
Trail, BC
Provincial Grant will help RDKB get FireSmart-er
- RDKB Emergency Management receives largest grant in service’s history
A $690,000 grant from the Province of BC will help RDKB residents get FireSmart-er. The Union of BC Municipalities’ Community Resiliency Investment Program funding is the largest grant ever received by the RDKB’s Emergency Preparedness Service.
“We are extremely grateful for the Province of BC’s incredible support, which will enable us to grow and deliver the RDKB’s FireSmart program,” says Carlene Pires, Emergency Program and FireSmart Coordinator.
The funding is earmarked for community education, the development of community wildfire resiliency plans, as well as hiring wildfire mitigation specialists who will perform free FireSmart home hazard assessments across the regional district as part of the FireSmart Home Partners program.
“The Board of Directors is extremely proud of and grateful to our emergency management staff for their ongoing efforts to help keep Kootenay Boundary residents safe, as wildfires are becoming an ever-increasing concern,” says Linda Worley, Chair of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary.
The wildfire mitigation specialists are already connecting with residents and performing assessments across the RDKB. Homeowners are encouraged to sign up for a free FireSmart home hazard assessment at firesmart@rdkb.com.
With wildfire season approaching, the RDKB encourages residents to implement FireSmart principles, create Grab and Go kits and sign up for our free emergency evacuation alerting system through Voyent Alert at emergency.rdkb.com.
The RDKB has received four similar grants in the past, the most recent being $227,000 in 2021.