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To report a wildfire: 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 from a cellular phone
Fire reporting is critical: Report forest fires immediately to 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 or 911. Provide good information: Geographic location-Size of the fire, position on the slope, wind speed and direction, forest and or fuel types, values at risk (homes, power lines etc.) is anyone taking action on the fire. Good timely reports are vital to responders success!
Merritt Wildfire Response Plans are established:
Plans deal with the north and south areas of Merritt. Control lines and trigger points have been established for wildfire management. The fires in Westbank show how smaller areas of grass and fuels can challenge control and affect large numbers of homes and improvements in very short times. Localized grasses and fine fuels can ignite easily and burn at extreme rates. You don’t need a forest to have challenges. Grass and brush can fuel an aggressive wildfire. We have many such areas
If fires occur in areas beyond the City of Merritt the responsibility for evacuation alerts and notices rests with the TNRD. The Ministry of Forest And Range also has authority to institute an evacuation process. First Nations must establish notices for Band lands.
The City Emergency Plan has a significant section on Wildfire/Interface Fire management. This includes notices for interface fires: Notice 1: Evacuation Alert: Notice 2: Evacuation Order. Notice 3: Order Rescinded.
Orders will be signed by the Mayor or Designate. Evacuation will be implemented by RCMP with support by SAR etc. Receiving of evacuees will be at the Civic Center and done by ESS.
Fire Control operations will be assigned under (ICS) Incident Command System. Command could be single or unified between agencies based on the complexity of the fire.
There has been a substantial amount of interface work done around the community. Responders should be more successful in dealing with a wildfire situation.
Interface Wildfire Threat
The wildfire threat to communities and homes was well established in the 2003 Fire Storm which destroyed homes in Kelowna and Barriere. Since that time we have had large areas attacked and killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle which has added to the naturally high wildfire hazard and threat. In 2009 several new areas were threatened by wildfires and we expect those threats to grow in number based on forest conditions and potential global warming changes. It isn’t a matter of if we will have more interface wildfire events but when, where and how many losses we’ll face. We believe that the best solution to wildfire mitigation will come from management of fuels and establishment of defensible lines and space from which fire resources will have a better chance of protecting homes and lives. The corner stone for success must ultimately fall to the residents and homeowners. Fire Smart homes have an improved ability to withstand a wildfire threat. The safety options set out in the reference material do make a difference to home survival and the ability of fire resources to protect structures. We will never eliminate the potential for a wildfire to impact homes but fire planning and fuel breaks will increase our chance of safely and successfully protecting homes and lives. The following links relate to interface fire smart materials:
http://www.pep.bc.ca/hazard_preparedness/FireSmart-BC4.pdf
There are several quality videos that are of value to visitors and residents who live in or adjacent to the wildland urban interface. The following links have current, relevant information about wildfire prevention, preparedness and response.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0iR8o54hDU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3gXdgDR_Dw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq6wy_tffpg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGAy1r-OKp4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKT-KH3QMx0
This is the season where clean up and disposal efforts can be more safely done due to snow or moist conditions. There are several options for fuel and fire hazard mitigation and burning is one method. Burning of debris outside the City of Merritt is allowed under regulation. Small hand piles if not properly monitored during burning can threaten your home or your neighbors so we do encourage you to prepare for the unexpected and work together as a team for the best results. Mulching or hauling away debris is required within the city.
We encourage you to work toward having a Fire Smart home in a Fire Smart Community. Your fire smart efforts will improve your homes ability to survive a wildfire and help responders safely and successfully manage fire events.
The City of Merritt emergency planning and preparedness efforts will also use fuel breaks and fire control lines planned for or developed to protect our community. Emergency training and testing of the systems through tabletop simulation are also planned for our emergency response team. We are working to become a Fire Smart Community and your efforts will assist in our success and recognition as a Fire Smart leader in B.C.
If the links and support information are not adequate please contact the following: Merritt Emergency Program Tom Lacey telacey@telus.net
For more information on BC Wildfire Protection
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