District Seeking Resident Input on FireSmart Program Development

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:

• FireSmart Community Feedback Form
• District of Sooke FireSmart Information
• FireSmart BC
• FireSmart Canada

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.