West Fraser will be burning the remaining debris piles this week in the Nolan and Jim Lake areas. Some smoke maybe visible.
West Fraser will be burning some more slashe piles around Jim and Nolan lakes the rest of this week.
Thanks to the generous donations from the Green Lake Snowmobile Club, the SGL Fire Department and its Auxiliary, a cheque for $750 was given to the 100 Mile Food Bank.
Just to inform everyone that West Fraser is doing some controlled burns in the Nolan and Jim Lake areas today. Some flames may be visible as they are fairly large piles.
Just letting everyone know that this Friday November 15th the SGL Fire Department will be having a night practice in preparation for the winter months. We will begin at 6:00 pm and will be in the area of Southcrest Road. There will be alot of flashing lights and scene lighting. We will be shuttling water from Access 2 back to Southcrest Road . This is only a practice.
Archive for May 2021
Posted in 
FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition program slated for 2021
South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department (SGLVFD) Captain Bob Bell and firefighter Ken Alexander are South Green Lake’s local FireSmart representatives (LFRs).
They recently completed FireSmart Canada’s mandatory two-day virtual LFR workshops and retained their LFR certifications.
In 2017, the Elephant Hill wildfire, which started some 80 kilometres away on Elephant Mountain near Ashcroft, burned through wildland forests close to the houses and cottages of the South Green Lake community. It came so close the homes and cottages, residents and vacationers had to be evacuated.
That’s when it sunk in that the South Green Lake community had a significant risk of wildfire damage and destruction of homes, cottages and properties.
After the Elephant Hill wildfire burned itself out, Alexander and Bell attended a FireSmart BC conference in Williams Lake and learned how to help mitigate the risk of wildfire damage for people living in the Wildland Urban Interface, where homes were built on or beside the forested wildland.
They were introduced to the FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition Program #FireSmartCanada during the recent FireSmart Canada virtual workshops. Bell and Alexander think this program will be a perfect fit for the South Green Lake community.
The Neighbourhood Recognition Program will teach residents how live with wildfire threat and how to help increase their home’s chance of survival through proactive actions. The program also encourages neighbours to work together to mitigate the risk of wildfire destruction.
They decided to split the South Green Lake community into three neighbourhoods by using the format the fire department used – Alpha, Bravo and Charlie – during the 2017 Elephant Hill wildfire.
The first neighbourhood project will start in the Bravo Neighbourhood at lot address 501 (next to Access Road #5) and reach out to lot address 933 (next to Access Road 9A) where the SunsetView Site of the Green Lake Provincial Park begins on the shoreline side of Green Lake South Road.
The corresponding lot numbers on the off-shore side from Access Road #5 to the Buffalo Ranch at lot address 938, will also be in the Bravo neighbourhood.
Alexander and Bell will kick off the program by conducting the Neighbourhood Wildfire Hazard Assessment, which is an important step in the FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition process because it will give residents a snapshot of wildfire risk in their neighbourhood.
It’s a tool to help neighbourhood residents understand their wildfire hazard, so they can learn how to reduce the risk.
Here is a key piece of information: Research has shown embers (burning pieces of airborne wood and/or vegetation) can be carried up to two kilometres by the wind. These embers and small surface fires are the two primary sources of home ignitions during wildfires. Residents can mitigate this risk by removing flammable materials within 10 metres of their homes or cottages and outbuildings.
Therefore, residents must prepare their homes, cottages and outbuildings to withstand embers and minimize the likelihood of flames or a surface fire touching their homes or any attachments and setting them on fire.
To make the FireSmart Neighbourhood Program work, someone in the neighbourhood needs to step up as the Neighbourhood Champion.
Neighbourhood Champions will help rally his or her neighbours, and also act as a point of communication with the local FireSmart representatives during the recognition and funding application process. Neighbourhood Champions also find other volunteers to serve on the FireSmart Neighbourhood committee.
Neighbourhood Champions will be provided with step-by-step support during the process.
For more information about the Neighbourhood Champion role, contact Bob Bell at 250-395-0622.
Anyone wanting assistance with a self assessment of their buildings and property or want more information about the Neighbourhood FireSmart Program can contact Bell or Ken Alexander at 250-456-7496 or cell at 250-319-8085 or e-mail at top_drawer@shaw.ca
#FireSmartBC
Skimmers were brought in to help battle the Elephant Hill wildfire that roared through the forest hills above the South Green Lake community in 2017.The crew from Quebec skimmed water from Green Lake and when their holding tanks were filled, they flew off to help battle the wildfire by dropping their payloads at nearby Jim Lake.
Ken Alexander photo
Tags: Home Safety Program
In British Columbia, smoke alarms are mandatory in all homes and recreational cabins.
Thanks to the Fire Chiefs Association,Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) and the Office of the Fire Commissioner, the South Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department has several combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms to give out to South Green Lake full-time and part-time residents.
These alarms are for the owners of older homes and cabins who don’t have hard-wired alarms built in their buildings.
However, these alarms will also be available to people who want one for their garage, shop or guest cabins that don’t have hard-wired alarms.
The free alarms are powered by a Lithium Powercell, which lasts for 10 years, so there is no need to replace batteries.
Smoke alarms have a working life of 10 years, so they have to be replaced when the 10 years is done and then be recycled. The alarms should be checked once a month for ongoing safety.
The alarm packaging also includes instructions for self-installation and self-activation.
The alarms come in a reusable TNRD Fire Protection Services bag, which includes information brochures on the use and placement of smoke alarms, Carbon Monoxide Safety and Portable Fire Extinguishers information.
Bag full of safety information
* The bag also includes a Home Fire Safety Checklist. Residents are urged to go through the checklist, and check off the items as either “yes” or “no” so they know how fire safe their homes and cabins are, and make some changes if needed.
* The bag also includes Home Fire Escape Plan information. Residents and vacationers are urged to develop an escape plan for their homes and cabins. The plan can save family members from loss of life or serious injuries in a house fire by having everyone getting out of the building quickly and safely to meet at a designated safe gathering place.
* The bag also contains suggested items to make up an Emergency Grab & Go Bag in case you have to evacuate quickly in an emergency situation.
So where can you get the alarms?
Local FireSmart Representatives Bob Bell and Ken Alexander will be handing out the bags of the alarms and important fire safety information at the South Green Lake Fire Hall (546 Green Lake South Rd.) on May 22 and on July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m. both days.
It will be a drive-thru event. We will need residents’ lot address number and their names.
If you have questions or need more information, call Ken at 250-456-7496 or e-mail at top_drawer@shaw.ca
Full- and part-time South Green Lake residents are eligible for a combination Smoke and CO alarm if they don’t have hard wired alarms installed in their homes, garages, shops or cabins. Local FireSmart Representatives Bob Bell and Ken Alexander will be handing out the bags of the alarms and important fire safety information at the South Green Lake Fire Hall (546 Green Lake South Rd.) on May 22 and on July 31 from 1 to 3 p.m. both days.
Ken Alexander photo
