North Coast Regional District Electoral Area E, Community Wildfire Protection Plan 2019 Submitted by: Submitted to: B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. Daniel Fish 270 – 18 Gostick Place Chief Administrative Officer North Vancouver, BC, V7M 3G3 North Coast Regional District Ph: 604-986-8346 14- 342 3rd Avenue West Email: [email protected] Prince Rupert, BC, V8J 1L5 Ph: 250.624.2002 ext. 8 E-mail: [email protected] Robert Ells Fire Chief Sandspit Volunteer Fire Department Ph: 250-637-5313 Email: [email protected] B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank Daniel Fish (Chief Administrative Officer) from the North Coast Regional District (NCRD) and Robert Ells (Fire Chief, Sandspit Volunteer Fire Department). These individuals invested substantial time in meetings, answering questions, reviewing and commenting on the contents of this document. In addition, the authors would like to thank staff from the BC Wildfire Service, including Vic Upshaw (Wildfire Technician, Fraser Fire Zone); staff from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (MFLNRORD), including Larry Duke (Engineering & Recreation Officer) and Dakota O’Donovan (Resource Technologist- Wildfire Risk Assessment); staff from BC Parks, including Lucy Stefanyk (Haida Gwaii Area Supervisor), and staff from the Council of the Haida Nation, including Laurie Whitehead (Program Manager) and Harmony Williams (Heritage and Natural Resources Department). The authors also appreciate the following individuals for their review and input: Dan Baker (Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure), Bob Gammer (BC Hydro), Shane Simard and Marty Locker (A&A Trading), Robert Sandberg (Husby Forest Products Ltd.), and Jeff Mosher (Taan Forest Ltd.). This report would not be possible without the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) Program and funding from the Province of British Columbia. ˚Cover photo: Debrah Zemanek, western redcedar, North Coast Regional District April 29, 2020 NCRD Electoral Area E Community Wildfire Protection Plan 2019 i B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL SIGN AND SEAL RPF PRINTED NAME Bruce Blackwell RPF 2073 DATE SIGNED October 13, 2020 I certify that the work described herein fulfills the standards expected of a member of the Association of British Columbia Forest Professionals and that I did personally supervise the work. Registered Professional Forester Signature and Seal April 29, 2020 NCRD Electoral Area E Community Wildfire Protection Plan 2019 ii B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/ SUMMARY OF CWPP RECOMMENDATIONS The Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) process was created in British Columbia (BC) as a response to the devastating 2003 wildfire in Kelowna. As an integral part of the Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) Program, managed by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), CWPPs aim to develop strategic recommendations to assist in improving safety and to reduce the risk of damage to property from wildfires. This CWPP will provide the North Coast Regional District (NCRD) with a framework that can be used to review and assess areas of identified high fire risk within Electoral Area E of the NCRD around the community of Sandspit. Additionally, the information contained in this report should help to guide the improvement and/or development of emergency plans, emergency response, evacuation plans, communication and education programs (including FireSmart), bylaw development in areas of fire risk, and the management of potentially hazardous forest lands adjacent to the community. Wildfire management requires a multi-faceted approach for greatest efficacy and risk reduction outcomes. A total of 56 strategic recommendations are found in a tabularized format within this Executive Summary (Table 1). In addition, these recommendations are more thoroughly discussed in their appropriate sections within the document and are found in written format. Because the area of interest extends outside the NCRD boundary onto private land and therefore outside NCRD jurisdiction, the NCRD’s role may be limited to the role of an influencer in some instances, while other recommendations can be directly implemented by the NCRD. Ultimately, the recommendations within this strategy should be considered a toolbox of options to help reduce the wildfire threat to the community. There is not one combination or course of action which is the answer; the NCRD will have to further prioritize based on resources, strengths, constraints, and availability of funding and regularly update the prioritization and course of action as variables change through time. April 29, 2020 NCRD Electoral Area E Community Wildfire Protection Plan 2019 iii B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. Table 1. Summary of CWPP Recommendations by Document Section. Document Section 2: Local Area Description (2.5.3: Local Government/First Nations Policies and Recommendations) Estimated Cost Page Item Priority Recommendation / Next Steps ($) or Person No. hours Objective: Increase uptake of emergency notification system Promote ePACT sign-up during an annual month-long campaign; target a certain level of resident sign up (e.g. ~30-60 in-house 90%). Use all available platforms, including the NCRD hours (local 1 9 High website, local radio, and brochures/posters at businesses government and community buildings. Consider training a member of funding). the Sandspit Fire Department about the system and how to use it to send notifications. Objective: Review and/or develop emergency planning documents and resources Review and update the SQCRD Emergency Response and Recovery Plan (ERRP) and associated Guide as necessary. A ~60-80 in-house review schedule, e.g. at least once every 3 years, should be hours (local determined by the NCRD. The next update should include government 2 11 High the development of an evacuation and wildfire interface funding). May be plans available as appendices to the Plan and include any eligible for UBCM changes to emergency response since the last update, such CRI Program as the new Sandspit tsunami evacuation site. The ERRP for Funding1 Area E should be made available on the NCRD website. Objective: Review and amend the current regulatory framework to incorporate wildfire mitigation and preparedness considerations Work to expand awareness of NCRD bylaws within the community through regular visits by NCRD staff, Electoral ~20-40 in-house Area Directors, or designates (i.e., fire department hours (local 3 13 Moderate volunteers). Consider a social media campaign to government encourage voluntary compliance, as the NCRD does not funding) have the capacity for bylaw enforcement. Proceed with amending Bylaw No. 323, in collaboration with the Sandspit Volunteer Fire Department, to include requirements for house numbering that specify minimum ~10-30 in-house number height and reflectance so that numbers can be hours (local 4 13 Moderate easily read from the road. Consider encouraging home government owner compliance via a community-wide engagement funding) campaign and providing incentives such as the opportunity to acquire/purchase discounted address signs (see Recommendation #5). 1 Refer to Section 5.1 and the Union of BC Municipality’s website (https://www.ubcm.ca/EN/main/funding/lgps/community- resiliency-investment.html) for further information on the Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) Program. April 29, 2020 NCRD Electoral Area E Community Wildfire Protection Plan 2019 iv B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. Document Section 2: Local Area Description (2.5.3: Local Government/First Nations Policies and Recommendations) Estimated Cost Page Item Priority Recommendation / Next Steps ($) or Person No. hours In collaboration with local governments and Fire Departments, proceed with launching a Haida Gwaii-wide house numbering campaign. The campaign should cover Electoral Areas E and D at a minimum, and could include municipalities and First Nations who want to participate. A campaign was initiated in Queen Charlotte by the Queen Charlotte VFD with signs sold to the public at a cost of $35 ~30-60 in-house each, with installation offered for free by department hours (local 5 13 Moderate members. Explore funding availability to subsidize sign government costs. Consistent house numbering has the added benefit funding) of making 911 service provision on Haida Gwaii more feasible and efficient. The campaign should include public education as to the safety benefits of house numbering for emergency responders to house fires, medical emergencies, and evacuations during potential wildfires or tsunamis. Consider establishing a bylaw to prohibit the dumping of ~30-45 in house combustible materials (green waste dumping) on public hours (local 6 13 Low land. Consider granting the Fire Chief or a designate the government authority to levy specified non-compliance fees. funding) Review and amend Bylaw No. 276 to allow woody material greater than 7.5 cm in diameter to be deposited at specified locations. Explore the establishment of a specific green waste dump (‘stump dump’) similar to that in the ~30-45 in-house Village of Masset. These amendments should consider the hours (local 7 14 Moderate risk of wildfire given accidental ignition of green waste and government include risk mitigation strategies, such as composting, funding) regular pile burning, chipping and/or spreading of waste. The provision of firewood for the community is also an option for