Living with Wildfire – Responding to wildfire is a complex system of responsibility and accountability; from residents to provincial and local organizations and emergency response; experts say reducing the damage wildfires can do comes down to being prepared and taking controlled measures to increase safety, protect assets, and reduce the spread if one strikes.
The reality of living in wildfire country hit home last summer when the Dogtooth Wildfire hit Parson, B.C., just 24 kilometres southeast of the Town of Golden. While the fire did not reach the town, about 20 homes were on evacuation order, and 1,052 people were on evacuation alert. Homes were lost, and damage affected businesses.
Wildfires are a risk across the Province of B.C., and experts say they are still a reality for the upcoming 2025 summer season for Golden and Area A, despite the Dogtooth Wildfire hitting south of town in 2024. Being prepared from the grassroots to the municipal and provincial levels is key to damage reduction.
The “Living with Wildfire” Mini Conference for Wildfire Risk Reduction was held on May 13 at the Golden Civic Centre in Golden, B.C. Experts and local community organizations came together to share what can be done to reduce the risk of significant loss due to wildfires as well as ease the emergency response, so evacuations can take place before a fire gets out of control.
Four guest speakers presented at the conference, including Landscape Ecologist, Paul Hessburg; University of British Columbia’s Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, Researcher Jennifer Baron; Professional Forester, Lindsay Hill of Forsite Consultants; and Fons Raedschelder, Superintendent-Cultural and Prescribed Fire Program with the BC Wildfire Service.
Denise English, Coordinator for the Columbia Woodlot Association (CWA), says the speakers were brought in to share various insights and knowledge from topics including how “landscapes and climate have changed over time” and how that impacts our risk to “what we can do to stop wildfires from spreading.”
Trips to locations outside of the limits of the Town of Golden to showcase examples of wildfire risk reduction treatments were part of the delivery for the event. England says, “she can’t emphasize the importance of being Fire Smart” to community members enough.
“People need to take fire smart precautions to protect their assets,” she says, and adds the importance of having “fuel” (items that can ignite easily around your home) cleared from the area around your home for emergency response teams to have safe access to respond to homes being affected by fire.
“We would like to see more people having (fire smart) assessments,” she says, and explains that homes that have used precautions recommended by the Fire Smart Program have the “best chance of being saved” during an emergency or an evacuation situation.
Fire Smart B.C. Coordinator, Michelangelo Mingarelli for the Golden Fire Department says, “you can’t predict” where or when a forest fire will start, but residents and businesses can take measures to reduce the risk of their homes and businesses succumbing to one.
“Taking the Fire Smart precautions is really key to keeping your houses safe,” he says.
According to its website (www.firesmartbc.ca), Fire Smart B.C. is a provincial initiative dedicated to reducing the risk of wildfire damage to homes, communities, and forests. It says, “Building wildfire resilience is a shared effort,” and provides support for communities with tools and resources to protect properties.
Mingarelli says the issue when it comes to forest fires and home damage is when a forest fire strikes it can spread from home to home. Taking precautions such as reducing “fuel”, such as hazardous trees, and vegetation and cleaning gutters and roofs regularly are just a couple of ways to help reduce the risk of fire sprawl.
“Fuel” is described as vegetation, unmitigated homes, and coniferous trees that are highly flammable on the Fire Smart website. Embers from burning debris can be cast up into the air and travel to ignite materials on or near homes.
Richard Hamre, firefighter for the Nicholson Fire Department and Fire Smart representative, says by following procedures outlined in the Fire Smart Program, people can “reduce the likelihood of your home catching fire while there’s a forest fire happening.”
“As we see forest fires affect more and more communities, more and more people are getting involved,” says Crystal Gauer, Wildfire Mitigation Specialist for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.
As far as preparations outside of town limits are concerned, the idea of controlled burns in the area is one to look at. English says, the CWA have come together to look at “a landscape plan” and “what can be done to prepare for a big fire.”
England explains part of the conference was to hear about “what we know about fire history over time,” and take into consideration the ways of the First Nations people of bringing in fire to control the landscape and reduce the impact of wildfires.
According to an article titled “How cultural burning enhances landscapes and lives” published on the BC Wildfire website, B.C. was the first province in Canada to ban the Indigenous practice of cultural burns.
“For some Indigenous peoples, cultural burning is defined as the traditional practice of planned and controlled use of fire on the landscape by Indigenous peoples for cultural and land management purposes. This includes burning for the health of particular plants and animals, as well as using fire for ceremonial purposes.” www.perscribedfire.ca
The article states, “Cultural burns do not burn as high or as hot as a large wildfire. In addition, low-intensity fire delivers nutrients to the soil, whereas large wildfires can cause soil to repel water, increasing run-off and erosion. Cultural burns are also traditionally a social affair.”
Looking at the big picture, England says it’s important to have a “plan in our back pocket.” While several community members have signed up to have their homes assessed by Fire Smart, the Columbia Woodlot Association is looking at a holistic landscape plan. Part of that process will involve a public consultation.
“We’re trying to reduce the risk and focus on the threat,” she says as they look at treatments one kilometre outside of the Town of Golden.
“When and if we start doing prescribed burns … We’re looking at how the landscape looks to reduce the risk of wildfire in the landscape area,” she says.
Gauer is a Wildfire Mitigation Specialist for the CSRD. She says, “fire on the lands is an important natural process” that has been suppressed for 100 years.
“I have to stress, fire on the landscape is important and good for the landscape. First Nations people will say there’s good fire and bad fire. We’re trying to push a shift in the public eye that some fire is good and is important,” Gauer says, explaining that low-intensity fires are easier to control.
When fire happens naturally, they are lower in intensity as it clears up fuel in the landscape. When fires are suppressed, a buildup of fuel occurs and leads to more high-intensity fires that are more likely to be difficult to control.
“Truthfully, there’s a certain intensity of fire where we have very limited resources to do anything about it. When it gets to that point in a response, then removing people is the number one priority,” she says.
“90 per cent of structure fires are started by ember ignition. While a fuel break can likely stop a fire, the embers can jump the break,” Gauer says.
“2023 was the worst year for forest fires on record, with five unprecedented fires. Fire Smart practices are valuable no matter where you live and more emphasis on high-density areas,” she says, adding, “house fires (structure fires) produce intense heat versus a forest, and forest fires tend to be a short event, and not nearly as hot.”
“Structural fires could potentially start as a forest fire,” she says, adding, “embers can spread typically two to eight kilometres,” though she says the Adams Lake Fire started from embers that travelled “20 kilometres.”
Community groups such as the Golden & Area A Fire Smart Community are bringing people in the community of Golden, B.C., together to reduce damage due to wildfires by cleaning “fuel” up from neighbourhoods, implementing fire smart practices, and developing response plans to keep vulnerable people safe in case of evacuations.
According to its Facebook page, “The Golden & Area A Fire Smart Community has been founded by a group of citizens who have combined qualifications and experience in wildland, urban interface and structural firefighting.” Their goal is to promote Fire Smart awareness and are working at the grassroots level to bring awareness to Golden, B.C. and the surrounding area.
For more information about Fire Smart Practices, go to: www.firesmart.ca
