{"id":11032,"date":"2020-09-22T17:50:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T21:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=11032"},"modified":"2020-09-24T10:01:01","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T14:01:01","slug":"easc-lets-proposal-to-extend-quadra-islands-fire-protection-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/easc-lets-proposal-to-extend-quadra-islands-fire-protection-die\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposal to extend Quadra Island’s fire protection dies"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Roy L Hales<\/p>\n

Three quarters of\u00a0Quadra Island<\/a>\u00a0lies outside the\u00a0fire protection zone<\/a>. BC Wildfire Service responds to forest fires in this area but, normally, do not come on to private property.<\/p>\n

Last June, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) asked North Island residents\u00a0<\/a>if they would like to have the same level of coverage as the south. While\u00a0roughly half of the respondents said they thought all Quadra residents should have the same level of protection, 64 per cent indicated they were happy with the present system and less than 10 per cent were willing to pay<\/a>\u00a0for any additional coverage.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Electoral Areas Services Committee<\/a>\u00a0(EASC) instructed SRD staff to draw up a report on how to move forward.\u00a0Staff suggested forming an advisory group<\/a>, comprised of representatives from each of the residential areas on the north island. Instead, EASC decided to let the proposal to extend Quadra\u2019s fire protection die.<\/p>\n

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Example of a densely stocked, pole\u2010sapling C2 fuel type - from the Quadra Island Community Wildfire Protection Plan<\/p><\/div>\n

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Extending fire protection too expensive<\/h2>\n

As Quadra Island\u2019s Regional Director, Jim Abram, pointed out, they would need three fire halls to effectively cover the North Island and said that \u201cit\u2019s just too expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Quadra\u2019s

Map showing settlement density classes.\u00a0\u2013 Quadra Wildfire\u00a0Protection plan. Note the Quadra Island Fire Department\u2019s mandate is currently to serve the highly populated south of the island.<\/p><\/div>

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Land ownership on Quadra Island (a compilation of SRD and Provincial data) \u2013 Quadra Wildfire Protection Plan<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Not consulting with the director<\/h2>\n

Staff received flack for not notifying Director Abram about their proposal, for an advisory group, prior to the meeting.<\/p>\n

\"I would have appreciated at least some notice that this was going to happen, since it will be a sort of standing committee on the island and appointed people that are my constituents,\" Jim Abram said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, the director should be consulted. He is the elected representative,\" Regional Director Brenda Leigh<\/a> added. \"He has the right to say \u2018yes\u2019 or \u2018no\u2019 to these initiatives. It shouldn\u2019t simply be staff driven all the time. I mean Quadra doesn\u2019t even have an APC (advisory planning committee) \u2013 so why would they have all these other extraneous committees \u00a0over issues that aren\u2019t even very well supported so far?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is a report recommendation from staff,\" Chief Administrative Officer David Leitch<\/a> responded. \"If the director or the committee doesn\u2019t support it, then don\u2019t support it. We will tell the people that the issue about fire service is dead there. So it is not staff driven, it is a recommendation and if the director and the committee don\u2019t care for it, don\u2019t support it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Quadra\u2019s

Updated fuel typing for the study area and relative hazard for each type \u2013 Quadra Island Community Wildfire Protection Plan).<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Proposal to extend Quadra\u2019s fire protection to the north dies<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s what they did.<\/p>\n

The clincher came when it was time to vote. No one suggested that EASC recommend the SRD set up the proposed advisory group. The only motion was that a decision be deferred to the next committee meeting and there was no one willing to second it.<\/p>\n

The fire coverage issue died.<\/p>\n