By Jill Sperling

KFR knocking on doors to promote FireSmart principles

Apr 10, 2019 | 5:14 PM

KAMLOOPS — Living next to a wooded area may seem idyllic, but when fire season arrives, those homes are at risk. 

“Although we’ve done our part on city property and crown land we’re asking for private property owners to do the same and be part of the solution,” said Kamloops Fire Rescue Chief Mike Adams. 

Since Monday, Kamloops Fire Rescue has been going door to door to talk to residents in interface zones about how they can FireSmart their properties. 

“Fire Smart is a universally accepted process,” Adams said, “which ties into removing flammable materials in and around your property, providing a 10-metre defensible space.” 

If the homeowner is interested, KFR and City Parks staff will come back and assist in a full FireSmart assessment. 

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“We’re really encouraging people to have the immediate space around their homes to have either rock or dirt, not to have bark much around their home,” said Life Safety Educator Lyle Weninger. “Take out those cedar bushes, those juniper bushes, no tall grasses that can burn, anything that can catch your house on fire.” 

Weninger also recommends people choose fire-rated asphalt shingles and avoid wood and vinyl siding. 

“In recent years they’re finding through these wildfire events that it’s the falling embers that are lighting the houses on fire as opposed to the big wall of fire coming through and lighting the houses,” Weninger said. 

The City of Kamloops Parks department is continuing its interface fire mitigation work, and this year is partnering with Kamloops Fire Rescue in the Homesafe Pilot Project. 

“The big thing that we’re looking at is, we’re treating the forests, we’re going to keep that fire down, but the biggest thing is what people can do around their own house,” said Kirsten Wourms, crew leader for Natural Resources. “So, the FireSmart program is amazing, you can get it online as well as by phoning Kamloops Fire Rescue.”

By April 29 KFR hopes to visit around 400 homes in Westsyde, Heffley Creek and Pineview Valley to explain to residents how they can FireSmart their homes.