Residents of the Aberdeen Glen Village mobile-home park have a chance to become the first community in Canada to be given a Fire Smart Community Program designation.
On the weekend, the park hosted a community day during which members of the city and Kamloops Fire Rescue discussed the Fire Smart Community Program, identified various fire hazards and gave tips on fire awareness and prevention.
They spoke to a group of more than 30 people, said Walter Locke, vice-president of the Glen Village strata committee and head of the Fire Smart Program.
Locke said the program is an auditing system that ensures an area is protected as best as possible from wildfires and other fires within a community.
He said it is an important issue to look into because of factors such as the fact Glen Village has just one route leading into and out of the park.
Locke said the program may help with insurance issues and property values, but its main benefit will be to personal safety.
“And, to try and prevent anyone from losing their home or, indeed, a life,” said Locke.
Glen Village was informed of the Fire Smart Program by Kelly Johnston, natural-resources section leader with the City of Kamloops, over a year ago and the community has been working towards getting the designation ever since, Locke said.
“We’re still working through the processes,” he said.
“We’ve done some of the work necessary, we have a few more things to do and then will have to, along with the other members, create a plan and submit it to the Fire Smart committee and then they will decide if we are designated as a Fire Smart community.”
So far, the community has brought in a professional forester to look at the area around the community to access fire dangers, and has undergone a Fire Smart audit to determine the community’s strengths and weaknesses.
The weekend information session was a part of the ongoing process of gaining that designation and looking at the area’s needs.
Locke said the program will make residents more aware of fire hazards and give them knowledge of how to create a safer home.
He said it can be as simple as erecting a new fence or replacing an existing fence by using flame-resistant material.
To continue to be a part of Fire Smart, Aberdeen Glen Village must continue to undertake community activities on fire prevention and awareness.
“It’s an ongoing process,” Locke said, noting even with the designation, the community must carry on with information sessions and awareness.
The post Aberdeen Glen Village is Fire Smart appeared first on Kamloops This Week.
