Whereas wildfire trends show an increasing threat to public safety, infrastructure, and the value of natural resources; And whereas local governments have a strong interest in the management of wildfire at the community and broader landscape levels, and are often on the front lines in matters of public safety, protecting infrastructure and dealing with residents: Therefore be it resolved the Government of British Columbia adopt policies and practices that proactively involve local governments in fire management planning, and in effective communication at all stages of wildfire management activity.
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations During the fire season, BC Wildfire Service staff work continuously to keep communities informed about any fire activity that could affect them, building on their strong working relationships with local governments. Staff also distributes timely information to the public using traditional media outlets, and our increasingly popular website and social media platforms. The British Columbia Government introduced the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative in 2004 to help local governments and First Nations reduce the risk of interface wildfires, where urban developments border on forests and grasslands. About 78 million has been allocated to this program to date, including 10 million provided by the BC Government in February 2016. As part of Budget 2016, Government invested 85 million to create the Forest Enhancement Society of BC. A primary focus of this new society is to reduce wildfire risks to complement the Ministrys existing forest stewardship programs and highly effective firefighting operations. Further, BC leads the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy with the Federal Government and other provinces and territories.