The Northern Rockies spent almost $20,000 on wildfire fighting equipment to try and suppress future fire activities in its rural areas.
The community’s regional municipal council agreed to reimburse the Northeast B.C. Wildlife Fund. The organization purchased firefighting equipment for Toad River in response to June’s wildfire in the Summit Lake and Tetsa River area.
The region’s fire department received $2.7 million in this year’s budget – this cash can be put towards new equipment, but it also must cover salaries and operating expenses.
This ultimately meant the tools required surpassed what the council could afford, and Toad River turned to the wildlife fund who agreed to cover the costs of additional materials.
“As a small, remote community, Toad River may experience delayed response from government firefighting personnel and rural properties (or) buildings may not receive adequate structural protection due to limited government resources. Therefore, it is very important that the community members have equipment available to rapidly respond to wildfire threats,” wrote Tom Fulton, the director and special projects lead at the Northeast B.C. Wildlife Fund, in his letter to council.
The fire was less than 100 kilometres from Toad River and Fulton told the council the order was placed in response to direct requests from residents. This equipment was meant to be used against the then-actively-burning blaze, as well as any future incidents in the area.
Though Mayor Rob Fraser noted in his discussion at the Bear Pit that despite the expedited shipping, it may have arrived too late as the provincial wildfire service set up structural protections when they arrived.
Their order included 15 rooftop butterfly sprinkler kits to mist the air and bring down temperatures. They also purchased a mini high-pressure pump to let water out at a rapid speed while initially responding to flames.
This year’s budget allotted $500,000 to wildfire mitigation and FireSmart activities, which help residents prepare their land for the smoky season. After a calmer-than-expected fire season in the region, the councillors voted in favour of using $19,907.75 of these funds to repay the wildlife group as a re-commitment to fire safety in the Northern Rockies.
