A Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan is a long-term strategic plan that helps Kamloops prepare for, reduce, and respond to the growing risk of wildfire in and around our community. This plan is the next generation of our wildfire planning, building on the former Community Wildfire Protection Plan created in 2016.
Kamloops is located in an active fire environment and has been surrounded by increasingly severe wildfire seasons in recent years. Wildfire prevention, mitigation, and resiliency is a priority for protecting people, property, and critical infrastructure.
Purpose of the Plan
The community Wildfire Resiliency Plan aims to reduce wildfire risk and strengthen community resilience by taking a comprehensive, community-wide approach to wildfire preparedness.
The wildfire risk assessment provides a thorough description and analysis of the local wildfire environment, local wildfire history, the Provincial Strategic Threat Analysis, and local wildfire threat assessments, including GIS and field analyses. Action items in the Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan will leverage the seven FireSmart disciplines outlined by FireSmart Canada to develop a comprehensive strategy aimed at enhancing resiliency to wildfires.
The plan helps to:
- identify and assess wildfire threats and vulnerabilities across municipal and surrounding public lands
- reduce the likelihood and impacts of wildfire on neighbourhoods and infrastructure
- improve preparedness, response capacity, and recovery planning
- guide wildfire mitigation investments and fuel management activities
- support FireSmart practices at the community and property level
- align local actions with provincial wildfire resiliency frameworks and best practices
Rather than trying to eliminate wildfire entirely, the plan focuses on reducing the intensity and impacts of wildfire so fires can be managed more safely and effectively when they occur.
