By Times Chronicle Staff
Four community foundations from some of BC’s most fire-prone regions have come together to support wildfire solutions for the Interior communities they serve.
The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen, Community Foundation North Okanagan, Central Okanagan Foundation and Shuswap Community Foundation have united around their shared vision for safer, more fire-resilient communities.
From issues of smoke and sudden evacuations to the loss of homes, businesses and cherished natural spaces, the impacts of the increasing number and intensity of wildfires are deeply felt by citizens across the province.
As such, the four Community Foundations have made a collective gift of $65,000 to FORWARD, the campaign for UBC. Their contribution is helping to launch the Okanagan Wildfire Coexistence Fund at UBC Okanagan.
The fund supports researchers at the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science as they develop new tools and technologies to improve wildfire monitoring and response. This work includes the development of a province-wide remote wildfire camera and wildfire weather sensor network.
“By partnering with our community foundation colleagues in the Central and North Okanagan and Shuswap on this investment, we want to collectively bring greater awareness to our new reality of living with wildfire,” says Aaron McRann, Chief Executive Officer of the Community Foundation of the South
Okanagan Similkameen. “We all believe that by working together, we can have a greater positive impact on the issue.”
Led by wildfire scientist Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, the UBC Okanagan research team is partnering with the BC Wildfire Service to install the new monitoring systems across the Interior. The remote cameras will stream visual data from high-risk areas, enabling responders to spot and respond to fires more quickly.
Additionally, custom-built weather sensors will track heat, wind and humidity, key factors that influence fire behaviour and risk.
Together, these tools will give communities and emergency responders better data to guide both immediate response and long-term fire management strategies, including prescribed burns.
“Wildfire is affecting every community in the Interior,” says Leanne Hammond, Executive Director of the Community Foundation North Okanagan. “We’re fortunate to have an innovative wildfire research program right here where we live, and we’re excited to help get these early detection technologies into Communities.”
The Foundations noted the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the work with UBC Okanagan’s approach, corralling a range of disciplines and partners to create innovative solutions.
“We were impressed by the practical, community-focused nature of the wildfire research at UBCO,” says Kristine Bugayong, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Okanagan Foundation. “It’s not just about studying wildfire, it’s about equipping communities with tools they can use to stay safe,” she said.
The fund will expand UBC Okanagan’s wildfire research program and opens the door to even greater innovation,” said the university.
“This generous gift is helping us build a foundation for long-term impact – not just in research, but in how we work collaboratively with communities to respond to the realities of wildfire,” says Dean of the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, Dr. Lael Parrott.
“Wildfire affects all of us, and it’s through partnerships like this that we can make meaningful progress toward building community resilience. We are extremely grateful for this support.”
The foundations hope their gift will inspire others to join them in supporting wildfire solutions.
“After the 2023 fires, our community showed incredible generosity in the rebuilding efforts in the North Shuswap,” says Christine Jontz-Barbour, Grants Committee Chair of Shuswap Community Foundation.
“We hope the collective impact of the foundations involved with this gift will be to inspire further donations, but toward research that will help prevent future devastating wildfires in the wildland-urban interface.”
