City’s wildfire preparedness day draws huge crowd to central park on Saturday

It was all about being prepared for the upcoming wildfire season on Saturday as members of Merritt Fire Rescue were joined by community partners, business and services for the 2024 Wildfire Preparedness Day on Saturday at Central Park.

City of Merritt Fire Smart coordinator Steve Rempel was very happy with the turnout on Saturday.

“It’s was a very good day, the weather held out and we’ve had lots of interest from the community with people asking questions on what they can do to be prepared in case of an emergency,” said Rempel.

Rempel added that even though it has been a particularly wet spring, most people know, that the situation in the Nicola Valley can change within a matter of days, even hours.

Another fun event at the Wildfire preparedness Day on Saturday.( Photo-Roger White)

“People are aware that, yes it has been damp with a lot of precipitation but this was also the case last year as well,” Rempel recalled. ” We had a very wet May, June and early July in 2023, and then in mid-July the weather changed and the threats that come with the summer heat brought wildfires to the region.”

Among the activities on Saturday was face painting, activities for kids and information from community members on how you can make your home more Fire Smart.

Rempel added that Merritt residents still have an opportunity to have a free Fire Smart home assessment done on their property. To make an appointment you can visit the Merritt Fire Station or visit the city of Merritt website at https://www.merritt.ca/firesmart/