File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Fire Protection

TNRD pulls fire protection service from Lower Nicola-area properties

Jun 23, 2022 | 4:14 PM

LOWER NICOLA, B.C. — The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) says it is suspending fire protection service for properties around the Lower Nicola area.

Calling it a “difficult decision”, the TNRD says the service will be suspended until further notice for sections of Electoral Areas ‘M’ and ‘N’, including Lower Nicola, Miller Estates, Canford and properties further southwest. The red-shaded area in the map below shows properties now without municipal fire protection.

Image Credit: TNRD

In a news release, the TNRD says fire protection was previously provided through an agreement between the district and the Lower Nicola Indian Band (LNIB). Now, the TNRD has determined the LNIB fire department “does not have the capacity to respond to fire calls outside of [its] own community.”

“We have been trying to fill our manpower and it’s been a bit challenging. It is a work in progress,” LNIB Chief Stu Jackson told CFJC Today. “It doesn’t surprise me that [the TNRD] would cease certain obligations because we just don’t have the manpower to do it.”

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The TNRD says it has notified affected property owners by mail. The district says it will assess its options in order to resume fire protection as soon as possible, as is required by the province.

The B.C. Wildfire Service still responds to wildfires in the area, and anyone experiencing an emergency can still call 9-1-1 for a response from B.C. Emergency Health Services or the RCMP.