Prince George, BC – Two communities in northern BC have been selected along with 22 others from across the country to receive funding to help reduce the risk of wildfires…

Northern Rockies Fire Rescue in Fort Nelson and the Nazko First Nation, west of Quesnel, have each been awarded $500 from FireSmart Canada to make their communities safer as part of National Wildfire Preparedness Day.

On May 2nd, people across the country are being encouraged to participate in local mitigation projects to reduce the risk of wildfire damage in their communities by Partners in Protection – a non-profit coalition of municipal fire, emergency, and land management experts, along with government reps.

“We had planned to fund 20 events, but after reviewing the applications, we felt that 24 projects were really deserving of our support, so we came up with the extra funds,” said spokesperson, Kelly Johnston.  “The response to this program exceeded our expectations and demonstrated that Canadians are concerned about wildfire and are ready to get to work to project their homes and communities.”