It’s been a busy FireSmart Season in Quesnel!

The City’s FireSmart team has been bringing FireSmart education to citizens of Quesnel and surrounding area throughout the spring and summer! Information booths were at: The Outdoor Trade Show, Quesnel and Bouchie Lake Farmer’s Markets, Richbar Plant Nursery, the Bouchie-Milburn Community Store, and the Quesnel Arts and Recreation Centre. To learn more about what you can do to FireSmart, please visit www.firesmartbc.ca.

Photo left: Local FireSmart Representative Ted Traer at the May 7 Farmer’s Market

Quesnel’s Structural Protection Unit

Fire Chief Ron Richert had Quesnel’s Structural Protection Unit (SPU) on-hand at the Outdoor Trade Show in May.

An SPU will only be set up once homeowners have made their properties more defendable by carrying out FireSmart activities. An SPU can add a level of protection to homes and neighbourhoods, as long as it is safe and effective for first responders to do so.

Structural Protection Units (SPU) contain gear such as pumps, hoses, sprinklers and water delivery attachments and tools. These units are strategically placed and transported to areas that may be threatened by wildfire.

Help fire fighters help you by FireSmarting your property!

Photo right: Forestry Initiatives Manager Erin Robinson with Jessica Broder from BCWS, with Fire Chief Ron Richert with the Structural Protection Unit.

Kids colouring contest

Back by popular demand, the FireSmart Colouring Contest had 77 entries this year! We had some new entries, including a day care and several elementary school classrooms.

Photo left: Lots of Tots Daycare with their colouring context prize book Firefighter Duckies.

Photo bottom: The 77 2022 Colouring Contest entries displayed at City Hall.

Get a FireSmart Sign!

Watch for the new FireSmart signs cropping up in neighbourhoods around Quesnel!

This new initiative is a way for homeowners to be recognised for carrying our FireSmart activities that help keep their homes and neighbourhoods safe from wildfire. The signage will also help neighbours recognise what a FireSmart yard looks like, so they can get ideas for their own properties.

Learn more about FireSmart:
FireSmart Home Development Guide
FireSmart Guide to Landscaping
FireSmart Begins at Home Manual

Photo right: Draft FireSmart sign for lawns.

Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update

Wildfires in BC are increasingly threatening lives and livelihoods. The increasing impacts have spurred a paradigm shift toward proactive wildfire management that prioritizes prevention and preparedness over response. The catastrophic fire seasons of 2017, 2018, and 2021 highlight how vulnerable communities continue to be and the urgent need to expedite community wildfire protection through fuel management. To date, the City of Quesnel through our Forestry Initiatives Program, has:

  • Used a combination of mechanical and manual fuel management on 227 hectares with an additional ~76 hectares planned for 2022.
  • Secured over 3 million dollars through FESBC, SWPI, CRI, FEP and WRR to advance our CWPP.
  • Worked to integrate fuel management and landscape level restoration; applying the lessons learned in fuel management to the landscape scale.
  • Assisted 155 homeowners to assess and FireSmart their properties.

Learn more about the Forestry Initiatives Program today!