Taking it Into Their Own Hands

Résumé du livre

Wildfires are an environmental hazard event experienced by populations and communities across the world. These events can have significant and long-lasting effects on the communities that are impacted, which makes the importance of mitigation apparent. Partners in Protection, a non-governmental organization in Canada, developed the FireSmart program and manual in 1999. This manual includes recommendations to homeowners and municipalities about how to reduce their wildfire risks. Some municipalities have been innovative by adopting FireSmart recommendations and developing and implementing their own additional measures to reduce fire risks. The purpose of this study is to explore how and why two local governments in British Columbia conceived, developed and implemented innovative wildfire mitigation measures at the municipal level. In-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 21 individuals involved in municipal wildfire mitigation (such as fire chiefs, mayors, emergency managers) across both communities. The results of this research show that several factors affected the success of these innovative municipal wildfire mitigation programs. These include: the effects of mountain pine beetle; the importance of community support and 'sense of community'; the post-event window of opportunity; access to funding and resources; collaboration and partnership between various stakeholders; and the importance of a 'community champion'. Limitations and obstacles to municipal wildfire mitigation are also identified and discussed.