The following article is the 1^st of many installments to assist the community with understanding the concept of Fire Interfacing and the Kaslo Project. Your understanding and support of this project can make your home and Village a safer place to live, especially in times of High to Extreme Fire Hazards.

Through funding initiatives from the Federal and Provincial Government, specifically the Community Development Trust – Job Opportunities Program and the Union of BC Municipalities, Kaslo has been approved for funding to conduct fire interfacing within and surrounding the Village of Kaslo Municipal Boundary.

So what is Fire Interfacing? Fire Interface is the place where the “forest meets the community” and is graphically depicted in the figure below. Other configurations of the Fire Interface can be described as intermixed. Intermixed areas include smaller, more isolated developments that are embedded within the forest.

In each of these cases, fire has the ability to spread from the forest into the community or from the community out into the forest. Although these two scenarios are quite different, they are of equal importance when considering interface fire risk. The probability of a fire moving out of a community and into the forest is equal or greater to the probability of fire moving from the forest into a community.

 Graphical example showing variation in the definition of interface.

Historically, there has been limited understanding of wildland urban interface fire risks within many communities of British Columbia. However, the lessons learned from the 2003 fire season have significantly increased local fire service awareness and local, regional, and provincial organizations have upgraded fire suppression understanding and capability. Despite this, there is still limited understanding among key community stakeholders and decision makers. Education and communication programs must target the broad spectrum of stakeholder groups within the community. The target audience should include, but is not limited to, the following groups:

• Homeowners within areas that could be impacted by interface fire;

• Local businesses;

• Municipal councils and staff;

• Regional District of Central Kootenay Directors;

• Local utilities; and

• Media.

The objective of Kaslo’s Fire Interfacing Project will be to reduce the fuel loads within high risk areas of non-private property within and surrounding the Village boundary. The following photo illustrates the project vicinity.

Kaslo Municipal Boundary

The Kaslo Fire Interface Project was initiated by a community group of concerned citizens and supported by the Village of Kaslo and RDCK. It is our sincere hope that community members will actively participate in this Fire Interfacing Project through enthusiastically becoming involved in learning about the Fire Smart & Interface Programs.

To get your own copy of the Fire Smart Manual, click on the following link:

http://www.pep.bc.ca/hazard_preparedness/FireSmart-BC4.pdf