Photo: Shuswap Emergency Program

The Village of Chase FireSmart coordinator has issued a stern warning in a new wildfire risk report drafted for the municipality: “It’s not a matter of if a wildfire happens, but when."

Michael Henderson presented his report on wildfire risk in the village at the Jan. 28 Chase council meeting.

Henderson said a recent study put Chase at number seven on the list of small communities in Canada most likely to burn.

“To be the seventh highest burn probability is quite a concern, and there are another three communities in close proximity to Chase that made the top 10,” he said.

Sicamous, Sorrento and Grindrod were the other three Shuswap area communities named in the report by AISIX Solutions.

The report identified the top 10 Canadian Small Population Centres most at risk of wildfires given historical conditions, generated by AI data analysis of historical wildfire data and projected changes in climate patterns.

“I am quite concerned about what will happen within the next 20 years,” Henderson said. “We can't say when a wildfire will happen, but I can say with confidence that it will happen soon enough.”

In his report, Henderson noted the climate of Chase is prone to wildfires.

“It's a known fact. It’s semi arid, it exceeds 30 C in summer, there's lots of vegetation, and currently lots of fuel loading.”

He added winds can be amplified by the narrow valley, and reduced snowpack due to climate change also adds to the wildfire-prone nature of the region.

Henderson said the village should consider how it can get local homeowners more interested in undertaking FireSmart work around their homes.

“I wasn't getting as much interest from residents in FireSmart assessments as I was hoping, considering in 2023 how close the community was to evacuation,” he said. “We need to look into how we're going to get homeowners engaged and interested in FireSmart.”

He said despite various attempts to educate residents about FireSmart practices through social media and local newspapers, his best results have come from in-person presentations.

In 2025, he said he plans to give more presentations and work with village staff on new or amended bylaws that would help enact wildfire mitigation measures in Chase.

His other big project this year will be the establishment of a new emergency operations centre.

“I'm working on that,” he said. “We're going to have about eight members, I imagine, in our emergency operations centre.”

He said four members will be village staff, and another four people will include emergency personnel and possibly an emergency services society representative.

He noted wildfire mitigation strategies are behind schedule in Chase, but he expects that will change going forward.

Council thanked Henderson for his report and voted unanimously to receive his report as information.