PRRD requests direct communication from province for new fire starts 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) voted in favour of sending a letter to provincial ministries requesting to be notified of new fire starts in the region.

During the July 18th board meeting, it was agreed that the letter was to be sent to the Ministry of Forests, Ministry of Water, Lands and Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

According to a report to the board, staff has been made aware of several highly visible new fire starts within the region, but the media has reported on them before there was any communication from the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) to the PRRD.

The PRRD’s Chief Administrative Officer, Shawn Dahlen, commented that staff learned about the last half-dozen fire starts in the area through the media, not through direct communication with the district.

“It’s tough when we get residents reaching out saying ‘what’s happening with this fire,’ and we have to say we don’t know anything about that fire,” said Dahlen. 

Dahlen also notes that the app’s information is limited because it only provides reports of fire starts within a 100-kilometre radius of the selected area. 

The report also says staff have previously contacted the Prince George Fire Centre asking about new ways to be notified about fire starts. The centre said it doesn’t have specific communication products or distribution lists for when new starts happen. 

The centre mentioned that BCWS has a mobile app that provides up-to-date information about new starts and fire updates on existing fires.

The problem is that the app would need to be monitored around the clock, which would be burdensome for staff. 

“What we are requesting is for BC Wildfire to actually let us know when a wildfire starts in the region; it would be very helpful,” said Dahlen.

Area D Director Leaonard Hebert says when people are not being informed by proper authorities regularly, people put out their own information from what they see, opening the possibility of spreading misinformation.

“It creates a whole bunch of [anxiety] that doesn’t need to be there,” said Hebert. 

The full report can be viewed below: