Wildfire Prevention - FireSmart

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FireSmart is about increasing community resiliency to wildfire. Sooke Fire Rescue is launching a FireSmart program to help educate and support residents to reduce wildfire risk on their property and within the community. If you live within the District of Sooke, we would like to hear from you! All residents can participate by completing the FireSmart Community Feedback Form by Sunday, November 7, 2021.

British Columbia has experienced one of the driest and most active wildfire seasons on record. The changing climate, higher temperatures and drought conditions are all leading causes of aggressive fire behaviour and longer wildfire seasons.


FireSmart is about increasing community resiliency to wildfire. Sooke Fire Rescue is launching a FireSmart program to help educate and support residents to reduce wildfire risk on their property and within the community. If you live within the District of Sooke, we would like to hear from you! All residents can participate by completing the FireSmart Community Feedback Form by Sunday, November 7, 2021.

British Columbia has experienced one of the driest and most active wildfire seasons on record. The changing climate, higher temperatures and drought conditions are all leading causes of aggressive fire behaviour and longer wildfire seasons.


  • Community Pop-ups: November 19th (Fuca Cycles) & November 30th (The Stick in the Mud Coffee House)

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    A HUGE thank you to everyone who completed the recent FireSmart Survey! We're keen to keep the conversation going. Meet Ashlene at an upcoming community pop-up to learn more about how you can become more FireSmart:

    • Understand how wildfires grow and spread,
    • Learn about what to do during a wildfire emergency,
    • Learn how to use FireSmart principles to help protect your home and property.

    Big thank you also to our local businesses for their support and hosting us outside their storefront:

    • Friday, November 19th, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Fuca Cycles (5871 Sooke Road)
    • Tuesday, November 30th, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at Stick In The Mud Coffee House (6715 Eustace Road)

    Can't make either of these pop-ups? Submit related questions, through the "Ask a Question" feature on this platform!

  • District Seeking Resident Input on FireSmart Program Development

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    The District of Sooke is developing a FireSmart program thanks to funding from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and their (UBCM) FireSmart Economic Recovery Fund grant.

    Ashlene Aktarian joins the District from Emergency Management BC (EMBC), where she was working in the Emergency Support Services (ESS) Division as the Project Coordinator for the new Evacuee Registration and Assistance (ERA) tool and will be serving as the District's FiureSmart Coordinator. “FireSmart is about increasing community resiliency to wildfire. I am excited to bring my emergency program experience to the District in this role where we are building a FireSmart program for the community. To do so, I need to hear from the residents to better understand their interests and needs,” Aktarian talks about this first step in program development.

    Residents can provide feedback through a short online form at letstalk.sooke.ca/firesmart until November 7, 2021.

    Learn more:


    The UBCM FireSmart Economic Recovery Grant provides communities up to $75,000 to support immediate job creation in order to build local wildfire resiliency and assist communities in recovering from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Meet Ashlene, District of Sooke FireSmart Coordinator

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    Ashlene joins the District from Emergency Management BC (EMBC), where she was working in the Emergency Support Services (ESS) Division as the Project Coordinator for the new Evacuee Registration and Assistance (ERA) tool, which is an online tool for registering displaced people during an emergency/significant event. She also brings previous experience with the BC Wildfire Service as a Fire Information Officer for various regions within the province to her new role with the District.

    We are excited to have Ashlene joining our team and are grateful for the funding of this position through the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) FireSmart Economic Recovery Fund grant.

    Ashlene will be developing resources and materials during her term with the District, which concludes June 2022, to support residents and the community to become more FireSmart.

    Please join us in welcoming Ashlene to the District of Sooke!

Page last updated: 02 December 2021, 08:32