Welcome!

If you live, work or play in rural BC you will have a close encounter with a wildfire.  I hope this page and blog help you deal with it when it occurs.

Starting in 2017 I experienced several large wildfires in rural and remote areas that had less than hoped for help. This is completely understandable as lives were at risk in communities and received the majority of the help. The members of the public, local ranchers and forest industry crews that responded on their own demonstrated remarkable courage and determination but had inadequate training and experience to respond safely and effectively.

There are several dedicated folks doing good work on mitigating the long-term effects of wildfire through fuel management and Firesmart. The beneficial results of this work may not be noticeable for several years. In the meantime, we have to make sure we all know how to deal with the beast when directly affected.

Full disclosure, I am an old white guy and this is not what I am good at. My spelling and punctation is terrible and I may say things in an inappropriate way. I apologize in advance for any offense. Please listen to the message and excuse the way it may be presented. I have been married for 37 years and raised teenagers so take advice really well. Let me know if you see any opportunities for improvement. I don’t want any important information to get lost due to how I present it.

I know quite a bit about wildfire but the longer I work in this business the more I realize how little I know and how much more there is to learn. I am not an expert, there are numerous people out there that know more about wildfire than I do. I hope this site will act as a forum for others to share experiences and good ideas to help all the stakeholders deal with future wildfire problems. Again, let me know if you have any comments, questions or suggestions for topics.

Talk soon.

Doug