DISTRICT OF ELKFORD COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE AGENDA November 14, 2017 5:30 P.M. Council Chambers Elkford's Mission - Through innovative leadership we provide opportunities for responsible growth, in harmony with industry and the environment. We take advantage of opportunities that enhance affordable community living and sustain the quality of life citizens, businesses and visitors expect. Page 1 APPROVAL OF AGENDA (a) Approval of November 14, 2017 Agenda 2 ADOPTION OF MINUTES 3 - 4 (a) Adoption of August 28, 2017 Minutes 3 DELEGATIONS 5 - 134 (a) Draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan • Presenter: Tove Pashkowski, B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. 4 ADJOURNMENT (a) Move to Adjourn Page 1 of 134 Page 2 of 134 DISTRICT OF ELKFORD COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Minutes August 28, 2017 Present: Mayor McKerracher, Chair Councillor McGregor Councillor Fairbairn Councillor Wildeman Councillor Bertrand Councillor Zarowny Absent: Councillor Robinson Staff Present: Curtis Helgesen, Chief Administrative Officer Scott Beeching, Director, Planning and Development Services Garity Stanley, Director, Leisure Services Duane Allen, Superintendent, Public Works Marilyn Rookes, Director, Financial Services Corey Kortmeyer, Director, Fire Rescue and Emergency Services Curtis Nyuli, Deputy Director, Fire Rescue and Emergency Services Dorothy Szawlowski, Deputy Director, Corporate Services, Recorder There being a quorum of Council, Mayor McKerracher called the meeting to order at 5:37 pm. APPROVAL OF AGENDA (a) Approval of August 28, 2017 Agenda Moved, Seconded AND RESOLVED THAT the agenda for the August 28, 2017 Committee of the Whole Meeting be approved as circulated. CARRIED ADOPTION OF MINUTES (a) Adoption of August 14, 2017 Minutes Moved, Seconded AND RESOLVED THAT the minutes from the August 14, 2017 Committee of the Whole Meeting be adopted as circulated. CARRIED DELEGATION (a) Wildfire Interface and Evacuation Procedures • Presentation by C. Kortmeyer, Director, Fire Rescue and Emergency Services Chief Kortmeyer provided a presentation on Wildfire Interface and Evacuation Procedures. Page 1 of 2 Adoption of August 28, 2017 Minutes Page 3 of 134 Minutes of the Committee of the Whole Meeting of August 28, 2017 Points of presentation and discussion included: • BC Emergency Management System priorities; • Municipal roles and responsibilities; • Lessons learned from previous fires: ➢ Rock Creek - 2015 ➢ Fort McMurray - 2016 ➢ British Columbia Interior - 2017 • Elkford mock exercise feedback; • Recent meetings with stakeholders; • Involving Interior Health in our emergency planning; • Evacuation Program. ADJOURNMENT (a) Move to Adjourn Moved, Seconded AND RESOLVED THAT the August 28, 2017 Committee of the Whole Meeting be adjourned at 6:08 pm. CARRIED C. Helgesen, Chief Administrative Officer D. McKerracher, Mayor Page 2 of 2 Adoption of August 28, 2017 Minutes Page 4 of 134 District of Elkford - Memorandum To: Mayor and Council From: D. Szawlowski, Deputy Director, Corporate Services Date: November 9, 2017 Subject: Draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan Attached please find Elkford's Community Wildfire Protection Plan as submitted by BA Blackwell & Associates Ltd. This draft is still being reviewed by District staff and other stakeholders prior to being finalized. The draft is presented to Council to provide an opportunity to provide feedback and discussion during the Committee of the Whole meeting of November 14, 2017. 5:\7340 Fire Forest Fires\WiJdfire Debrief 2017\Community Wildfire Memo.docx Draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan Presenter: Tove Pashkowski, B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd... Page 5 of 134 Page 6 of 134 District of Elkford Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update Submitted By: Submitted To: B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd. District of Elkford 270-18 Gostick Place 816 Michel Road North Vancouver,DRAFT BC V7M 3G3 Elkford, BC V0B 1H0 DRAFT last updated: October 22, 2017 Draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan Presenter: Tove Pashkowski, B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd... Page 7 of 134 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank the District of Elkford staff, particularly: Corey Kortmeyer, Fire Chief, Elkford Fire Rescue; Curtis Nyuli, Deputy Director of Elkford Fire Rescue; Duane Allen, Superintendent of Public Works; and Scott Beeching, Director of Planning and Development Services. District staff invested substantial time in meetings, answering questions, reviewing and commenting on the contents of this document. Their input and recommendations were invaluable to the development of the strategy. In addition, the authors would like to thank Mike Morrow, BC Wildfire Service Fuels Management Specialist Southeast Fire Centre; Andre Chalabi, Forest Protection Technician Cranbrook Fire Zone; Mike Daigle, Stewardship Forester and Steve Jablanczy, Resource Manager, Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District; Kelly Johnston, Executive Director, Partners in Protection FireSmart Canada; Don Mortimer, Fireline Consulting; Alan Westhaver, Forestwise Environmental; and Tom Boechler, Office of the Fire Commissioner, for their cooperation, input, and insight. This report would not be possible without the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative (SPWI) Program and funding from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM).˚ DRAFT ˚ Cover photo: Phil McLachlan, The Free Press District of Elkford i Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update Draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan Presenter: Tove Pashkowski, B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd... Page 8 of 134 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 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 Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative (SWPI), managed and funded through the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM), CWPPs aim to develop strategic recommendations to assist in improving safety and to reduce the risk of damage to property from wildfires. In 2006, a Wildfire Management Strategy (a strategy document equivalent to a CWPP) for the District of Elkford, hereinafter referred to as the “District” or “Elkford”, was completed to help guide the District in wildfire risk reduction and mitigation activities. This document intends to update the 2006 version of the CWPP equivalent document, District of Elkford Wildland/Urban Interface Wildfire Management Strategy1, and to assess the threat of wildfire within and around the municipality. This update examines the effectiveness of completed work, identifies opportunities for improvement within existing programs, and describes potential future initiatives. The strength and effectiveness of a CWPP are founded in working across a wide range of disciplines to capture and integrate proven FireSmart® principles, practices and programs for mitigating wildfire losses.2 A CWPP addresses wildfire risks at all spatial scales, across multiple disciplines, on private and public lands and recommends a coordinated mix of synergistic risk actions towards reducing wildfire losses. Since the development of the 2006 Wildfire Management Strategy, Elkford has made progress at implementing recommendations and embarking on additional positive mitigative measures not outlined in the 2006 Wildfire Management Strategy. The most notable actions include implementation of the following3: • Fire danger signs to inform residents and public of changing fire weather conditions; • Fuel treatment on approximately 56 ha of land surrounding the community; • Maintaining a high level of wildfire and interface fire-specific training for emergency response and wildland/ interface suppression equipment; and, • FireSmart program which includes: FireSmart brochure mail out to all residents, open houses, and social media initiatives. The main objective for the District should not be wildfire exclusion, but instead reducing human ignitions, ensuring public safety, and mitigating or avoiding wildfire loss. The District is surrounded immediately by District- owned and Crown land, which offers flexibility to complete FireSmart and fuel modification treatments in the areas closest to values at risk. Although these treatments will substantially reduce the District’s overall wildfire/ 1 DRAFT Prepared by Diamond Head Consulting Ltd., Davies Wildfire Management Inc., Timberline Forest Inventory Consultants, and Terra Mer. November 2006. 2 FireSmart is the registered trademark name for a comprehensive set of principles, practices and programs for reducing wildfire losses held by held by the Partners in Protection Association 3 A full enumeration of recommendations and implementation status from the 2006 Wildfire Management Strategy can be found in Appendix A. District of Elkford ii Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update Draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan Presenter: Tove Pashkowski, B.A. Blackwell & Associates Ltd... Page 9 of 134 interface fire threat profile, there is still privately held forested land, both small parcels intermixed with development and large parcels in the interface, which could be treated to further mitigate the risk. Because of this, the District should place a strong emphasis on communicating, educating, and engaging with the public to increase the sense of home, business, and land owner responsibility and the role that they play in reducing the vulnerability of their land and structures to wildfire. The ultimate goal is to spur landowners and residents to put wildfire mitigation principles into action using their own resources. Risk communication, education