Kamloops wildfire contractor sees benefits to year-round BC Wildfire Service

KAMLOOPS — Three of the last five years wildfire seasons have been record-breaking in terms of hectares burned. Last summer ranks third all-time at 868,000 hectares — behind 2017 and 2018 — but it may have been the most destructive.

The entire Village of Lytton is gone and many other homes in the path of wildfires were destroyed.

In its 2022 budget announcement this week, the NDP government is investing in more FireSmart initiatives and making the B.C. Wildfire Service a year-round operation.

“We’re going to have people working at centres year-round, people that are not only going to be able to do the wildfire work during wildfire season, but actually be able to do the mitigation work and who better than firefighters who know what they need to do when it comes to mitigation,” said B.C. Minister of Forest, Lands & Natural Resources Katrine Convoy on Thursday.

The investment comes as a new UN report comes out, outlining the need for countries to be more proactive in managing wildfires before they start.

The province is investing $145 million into the BC Wildfire Service and Emergency Management BC. In addition, there will be $98 million over the next three years allocated for other wildfire prevention work and upgrading forest service roads.

Then there’s another $90 million in community grants that will be made available for FireSmart initiatives and other fuel management activities similar to Logan Lake.

“We saw the fire where it came up to Logan Lake and it just moved away from the community because of the work they had done, the mitigation they have done,” said Conroy. “And we want to see that in communities right across the province, so this money will ensure we have people working year-round, that we have people that will be able to go out and work with communities, work with Indigenous Nations.”

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar wants more details on where the money will exactly be spent, worrying some of the money could be spent inefficiently on bureaucratic jobs in Victoria instead of getting more fire professionals on the ground.

“But like we’ve seen with many things with the government, they come out with great announcements. The implementation is the piece of the equation that always seems to be lacking,” said Milobar.

Willy Saari is a wildfire contractor that employees about 15 people most of the year, working with cities like Kamloops, Merritt and Logan Lake on fuel management.

He believes the provincial crews will now be able to FireSmart homes in more rural areas.

“If you look at some of the fires around here, there are lakes with seven cottages on it. Well, those cottages can’t afford to do a 10-hectare buffer around them,” noted Saari. “These crews in the offseason can go in and do that at a good cost to the taxpayers.”

Saari feels moving to a year-round wildfire service will allow B.C. to keep more of its best workers.

“It will attract the best of the best to stay here and not just be a seasonal employee,” said Saari. “I think long-term, it’s going to be better for the province, and the taxpayers are going to get more bang for their buck. I think there are other things they can do in the offseason to help the taxpayers of B.C.”

He says that could include wildfire service personnel also helping assist in emergency situations like flooding, which hammered the province in November.