Three quarters of Quadra Island lies outside the fire protection zone. BC Wildfire Service responds to forest fires in this area, but normally do not come on to private property. Last June, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) asked North Island residents if they would like to have the same level of coverage as the south. While roughly half of the respondents said they thought all Quadra residents should have the same level of protection, 64% indicated they were happy with the present system and less than 10% were willing to pay for any additional coverage. The Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC) instructed SRD staff to draw up a report on how to move forward. Staff suggested forming an advisory group, comprised of representatives from each of the residential areas on the north island. Instead, EASC decided to let the proposal to extend Quadra’s fire protection die.
Continue reading EASC lets proposal to extend Quadra’s fire protection dieTag Archives: Quadra Wildfire Protection Plan
SRD seeking grant to help reduce wildfire risk in rural areas
The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) may be on its way to acquiring a $244,000 grant to reduce wildfire risk in rural areas. Close to $76,000 of this could go to a variety of projects on Cortes Island, more than $52,000 to Quadra and Read Islands and more than $50,000 each to Electoral Area’s A and D. The Electoral Areas Services Committee passed a recommendation that the SRD send application to 2021 Community Resiliency Investment grant program.
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North Quadra Residents Divided About Wildfire Protection
National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Dalyce Dogterom recalls the night a neighbouring house, in Quadra Island’s remote community of Bold Point, caught fire a couple of years ago.
She couldn’t see the blaze from her property, but the night sky glowed red, she said.
Residents’ calls to 911 brought out the police and the ambulance service to treat the residents for smoke inhalation.
But the Quadra Island Fire Department (QIFD) wasn’t called out because fire protection services in the less densely populated and more isolated northern part of the island falls to the BC Wildfire Service, Dogterom said Monday.
The provincial wildfire service does not fight structure or residence fires, but rather forest fires.
Continue reading North Quadra Residents Divided About Wildfire Protection
Impending Survey: Do North Quadra Residents Want Fire Protection?
Two years ago, many North Quadra Island residents woke up to the sound of explosions. The pre-dusk sky had turned red. A house on Bold Point was engulfed in flames. When the RCMP arrived, they discovered the main power line was down. Three of the occupants were sent to the hospital with smoke inhalation. As this part of the island is protected by BC Wildfire Service, whose mandate does not include structures, no fire department came to their rescue. All that remained of their home was a chimney. While this is an area better known for its forests and abundant marine life, there are more than 250 properties. At their January 29, 2020, board meeting, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board authorized a survey to determine if North Quadra residents want fire protection.
Continue reading Impending Survey: Do North Quadra Residents Want Fire Protection?