Fire Smart inspections skyrocket in Kamloops after 2021 wildfire season

Kamloops firefighters did more than 90 fire smart assessments for residents in a three month period this year, after having done only one in the same time last year.

Kamloops fire chief Ken Uzeloc said the requests came in response to the devastating wildfire season in 2021.

"This increase in demand demonstrates the public's concern over the wildland interface fires," he told a city council committee, Sept. 8.

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The 95 fire smart inspections from April to the end of June this year is a 9,500 per cent increase over 2021.

A fire smart assessment includes evaluating the risk of landscaping, structures and anything else combustible around a property. The homeowner can then choose what they want to do after firefighters assess their risk.

A wildfire near the Juniper neighbourhood sparked on July 1, 2021, striking fear in residents. The wildfire within city limits was one of the first of a long and destructive season.

Uzeloc added that the department offered two fire smart presentations to the public this year, and one in Juniper had roughly 200 people attend.

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In the first three months of 2022, Kamloops Fire Rescue did two fire smart assessments, but that jumped by April as warmer weather set in.

The 95 inspections so far this year is also well above 2020, when Kamloops Fire Rescue did 16 inspections from April to the end of June.

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