Sooke offering free assessments to help residents mitigate wildfire risk

In a region where most neighbourhoods are adjacent to the wilderness, wildfire risks are on the rise.

Climate change is bringing on hotter drier conditions which are concerning for Sooke Fire Rescue.

“All contributing factors to more aggressive fire behaviour and longer fire seasons,” says Sooke FireSmart coordinator Ashlene Aktarian.

So the District of Sooke is introducing a new FireSmart program that offers free property assessments for residents "to increase their structures' survivability in a wildfire event,” says Aktarian.

Homeowners can book an appointment though the District of Sooke and a FireSmart certified representative will inspect their property and offer some tips.

“Starting with the home itself and then there’s three concentric zones up to 100 metres from the foundation of the property,” says Aktarian. “It’s really focusing on moving combustible materials away from the home.”

A series of 90-minute virtual seminars are also scheduled to start later this month.

"[It] is going to give people the opportunity to learn more about fire behaviour, the threat of wildfire in their local community, as well as what they can do to help protect their home and property," says Aktarian.

As wildfires across the province have been escalating year over year, Sooke Fire Rescue says the risk is also growing in B.C.’s wildland-urban interface zones.

“The zones where the infrastructure meets the natural landscape and environment, and that describes Sooke," says Aktarian. "So we’re just at higher risk of a devastating wildfire."

The virtual info sessions and home assessments can be booked online at sooke.ca/firesmart.