Personal Emergency Preparedness  - Wildfire Season

Wildfire Prevention
We’re in this together. Wildfire prevention can happen at home, in the backcountry, and through larger-scale fire and fuel management planning.
RDOS Community FireSmart | FireSmart BC | FireSmart Homeowner’s Manual

FireSmart Community Assessment Reports:

Faulder 2017 | Husula Highlands 2017 | Kaleden 2018 | Missezula Lake 2018 | Twin Lakes 2018 | Heritage Hills / Lakeshore Highlands 2019 | Naramata (Smethurst/Arawana Neighbourhoods) 2019

RDOS Emergency Preparedness links

BC Wildfire Service

Wildland Urban Interface Fires
Wildland fires can quickly spread from the forest and become interface fires, putting your property and community at risk. Help keep your family and home safe by preparing in advance, and learning how to reduce the fire danger around your home and within your community.

Visit PreparedBC to get prepared, learn how to FireSmart your property and check BC Wildfire current wildfire activity map.

Fire protection on crown land is provided by BC Wildfire Service

Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is defined as the areas where structures and other human development meet with wildland areas containing flammable vegetation such as trees and grasses. A fire in this area is called an interface fire and much of the rural development throughout our region exists within the interface. Interface fire fuel management has become an area of significant importance for all local governments since the devastating wildfires of 2003.

Click here to view the RDOS 2020 Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)

In 2004 the Province initiated a review of Firestorm 2003. The review resulted in recommendations for reducing fire fuel build up in British Columbia interface including:

• Fuel-treatment pilot projects in locations of high interface fire risk;
• On-site removal or burning of spacing slash to mitigate the surface fuel hazard;
• Assessment of fire-prone ecosystems within or adjacent to a wildland urban interface (WUI) for risk reduction;

The review states further “Governments and individuals share responsibility for fireproofing communities and developments that may be affected by interface wildfires". Homeowners have an obligation to undertake activities that help fire proof their own residences and businesses. This can be achieved by following Fire Smart recommendations.

The Regional District's Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) began in 2004 also as a result of the Firestorm 2003 review. The CWPP program was launched to improve fire prevention in the WUI zone. The purpose of the program is to assist communities in the development of plans that will assist them in improving fire prevention and protection in WUI areas. The objective is to improve community safety and reduce the risk of property damage. The program is funded by the Ministry of Forests and Range and administered by the Union of BC Municipalities.

Fire protection on crown land is provided by the Wildfire Management Branch.

Within the Province of B.C. there are 6 fire centres and within each centre are zones. RDOS happens to be split by two fire zones; Penticton and Merritt.

• Priority Areas

Click here for more information on personal emergency preparedness, including how to assemble your family emergency kit.

You and your neighbours can reduce the threat of WILDFIRE by following 5 simple preventative steps.

There are approximately 2,000 wildfires in British Columbia each year. Of those, roughly half are person-caused while the other half are lightning-caused.

Person-caused wildfires are those related to abandoned campfires, smoking, logging, railroads, brush or range burns, construction, recreationalists and arson. All person-caused wildfires are preventable. You can help prevent wildfires.

This section provides two options for viewing updates on wildfires.

To see a list of all current wildfires in B.C., please visit Current Wildfire Activity.

The Regional District oversees seven volunteer fire departments: Anarchist Mountain, Kaleden, Keremeos, Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Tulameen and Willowbrook, which provide local fire protection to specific rural areas within Electoral Areas “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” “E,” “G” and “H.”

In addition, Municipal and Regional departments also provide fire suppression to specific areas of Indian Band Lands under contract.

The District also contracts with the City of Penticton and the Town of Princeton to provide fire protection to specific rural areas of Electoral Areas “D” and “F” (rural Penticton) and Electoral Area “H” (rural Princeton).

9-1-1 fire calls for the South Okanagan-Similkameen are relayed to a secondary dispatch centre at the Kelowna Fire Hall. At that location, Regional Fire Dispatchers handle a multitude of calls from fire, marine, motor vehicle accidents, and medical first response