Kelowna homeowners are encouraged to take advantage of a new pilot program designed to help residents protect their property from fires. The new Kelowna FireSmart Community Pilot Program will offer free removal and crushing of specific woody debris: cedar, juniper, mugo pine and spruce, pine and spruce branches. “This is the time of year to take action that will make a difference,” said Tara Bergeson, the city’s forester. “It is important to know the level of danger in your home and to think in advance about the potential dangers of the fire season. Removing vegetation from your property that is dangerous when it comes to spreading fire is a key step – especially plants 10 meters from your home. “It protects you, your family and your neighborhood.” The program will be delivered to selected neighborhoods this spring that have plenty of these materials, including Dilworth, Magic Estates, McKinley, Quail Ridge, Gallagher’s area, Mission Ridge, and parts of Kettle Valley and Black Mountain. Residents in these areas can remove these materials from their homes and store them on the sidewalk for collection according to the schedule, which can be found online. “Our new community chip pilot project will begin this year in eight neighborhoods where many of the homes have a much more traditional landscape with flammable plants and shrubs,” Bergeson said. “In many cases, newer neighborhoods have incorporated FireSmart landscaping that is already designed to reduce fire risk.” The program will run every week between April 19 and July 15, when a city contract truck equipped with a lumberjack will follow a planned route through parts of Kelowna to pick up these materials. Debris will not be collected if it contains deciduous trees, roots, dirt, stones, gravel, grass or other inorganic materials such as rope or twine. The program is funded through the Union of Municipalities of BC. and is part of a year-round commitment to reduce the risk of fire in Kelowna and surrounding areas.
