Image sourced from Pexels POI.
Have you ever wondered how best to protect your farm and your family during wildfire season? Agriservice BC created a newsletter to share some useful resources.
Stay Informed
Sign up for emergency notifications. You can do this on your local Regional District or municipality website or Indigenous Governing Body.
Evacuation alerts and orders are issues municipally, and the Emergency Operations Centres are also established municipally to establish protocols for entering evacuation order areas.
Bookmark information pages such as emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca and EmergencyMapBC. Bookmark drivebc.ca.
You can follow Emergency Info BC on Facebook and X, and you will be able to find the most current road conditions on Drive BC.
- Use the BC Wildfire Service Map online or download the app to Apple or Android.
Make a Plan
With the rapid spread of wildfires, it is important to have and evacuation plan in place.
Firesmart has put out several videos on how to prepare for the event of a wildfire. Click this link to watch them.
- You can get an Agriculture Operation Plan with the Farm & Ranch Wildfire Preparedness Guide & Workbook
- It is also important to make a plan for your household and also to know how to protect your workers from wildfire smoke.
- Protecting livestock will also take some planning. You might
- Shelter livestock in a barn
- Relocate livestock to a different location or 'buddy' farm
- Free animals as a last resort.
You can also register all livestock with BCPID so responders can identify and protect your animals.
Protect structures by
- Removing dry leaves, pine needles, and debris around buildings and on roofs
- Move wood piles, equipment and fuel away from buildings
- Store flammable materials away from walls or decks.
For peace of mind, obtain Agriculture Insurance and Income Protection. You can also invest in production (crop) insurance.
During an Emergency
During an emergency, producers can contact local emergency operations centres and industry association.
You may find support from:
- Agriculture Coordinators
- Livestock relocation assistance
- Range Rider Program
- Rancher Liason Program
- Access to Feed Program
- Temporary Access Passes.
For those needing health and wellness care as a result of a forest fire, you can find a list of resources here.
All this information was sourced from AgriService BC: Be Wildfire Ready, Preparing your Farm or your Ranch (as distributed by Organic BC email).