Welcome! Are you ready to FireSmart Your Home?
Communities within Central Saanich are set amongst a patchwork of natural and developed areas at risk of wildfire. Wildfire hazards can be reduced by following simple, preventative steps like adding a few FireSmart actions to regular yard work routine.
The District’s FireSmart Coordinator, Ryan Vantreight, is performing home assessments, working on a community wildfire resiliency plan and educating residents to help improve preparedness for wildfires. This program will support homes in Central Saanich as well as the Tsawout and Tsartlip First Nation.
Resources
Homeowners can take simple actions to create a FireSmart property, dramatically increasing the resistance of your home and property to wildfire damage.
- To learn more, please contact Ryan today 250-415-8066 or ryan.vantreight@csaanich.ca
- Schedule a free home assessment 250-415-8066 or ryan.vantreight@csaanich.ca
- Read the Homeowner's Manual, Landscaping Guide and more in 'Related Documents and Links'
- Watch videos at the bottom of this page
Upcoming events
June 17: FireSmart Branch Chipping and BBQ
Come learn about how to make your property FireSmart at a FREE branch chipping and BBQ. Residents are encouraged to bring their clean woody debris and branches and learn how to further lower their risk to wildfire by using FireSmart principles.
- When: June 17, 2023 - Material Drop-off: 9am - 5pm, Community BBQ: 11am - 3pm (at the Fire Museum)
- Where: The Volunteer Fire Museum located at 1901 Mt. Newton Cross Rd (Municipal Hall)
See material guidelines and event details here. If mobility is an issue and curbside or onsite chipping is required, please contact firesmart@csaanich.ca.
June 21: Mock Wildfire Training on Alec Road
Approximately 50 local emergency personnel will conduct a wildfire training exercise on Alec Road toincrease community awareness and readiness and to better prepare our emergency services to respond in the event of a wildfire. Central Saanich Police, RCMP and PEMO Search and Rescue will be simulating an evacuation notice by going door-to-door providing information packages to residents (residents do not need to evacuate).
- When: June 21, 2023, 9 am - noon
- Where: Central and North Saanich Fire departments will be on site on Alec Road running mock wildfire scenarios involving participating residential properties simulating realistic wildfire and structural firefighting tactics.
FAQs
- "Will I have to actually evacuate my home?" No. We will be only simulating an evacuation and there is no need to leave.
- "I have concerns about traffic on Alec Rd, how will this be handled?" District staff will be controlling traffic at the bottom of Alec Rd, West Saanich Road and Mt.Newton Cross Road. Traffic advisories will be posted in advance of the event and non-essential traffic on Alec Road will be discouraged between 9am and 1pm on the day.
- "I do not want to participate, can I not be involved?" Of course, participation is voluntary. If you do not want to participate, we will leave the information package at the door for you.
- "I would like to participate in the event, how can I get involved?" Residents can volunteer their properties to be sites where the fire department will run exercises. If you are interested in participating, please email firesmart@csaanich.ca
If you have any questions or concerns about this event, please contact firesmart@csaanich.ca.
June 28: Mock Wildfire - Community Debrief
All Central Saanich residents are invited to a "lessons learned" follow-up presentation to discuss the event and what we can all do to be better prepared.
- When: June 28, 2023 at 7pm
- Where: Fire Station 1
An introduction to FireSmart
Why FireSmart your property?
Watch Larry Watkinson (Fire Chief of Penticton) give a Home Ignition Zone Assessment for a homeowner in Penticton, BC. Home assessments are a great opportunity to identify where FireSmart practices can be applied on the home.
Take the Central Saanich FireSmart Survey
An essential part of the FireSmart program is public engagement. Please participate in our survey to help us gauge residents' knowledge about wildfire hazards within our community.