By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
The Keremeos and District Volunteer Fire Department knocked down a fire near Hwy. 3 south of Cawston and across the highway from the ntámłqən Community Band School late last night.
A local resident told the Times Chronicle that the fire was largely contained by about 10:30 p.m. and had been actioned by two fire trucks, two emergency vehicles and an ambulance.
Mopping up and cooling activities were underway at approximately 11 p.m., according to an advisory from the Lower Similkameen Indian Band (LSIB).
A BC Wildfire Service night-vision helicopter was tasked for scanning the area for hot-spots, the LSIB said.. With no lightning in the area it is believed to be a human-caused fire.
In a 2:18 a.m. update by the BC Wildfire Service the 0.6 hectare fire was listed as “Under Control”.
BC Wildfire Service map
Earlier this spring, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) renewed a contract between the Keremeos and District Volunteer Fire Department and the LSIB.
A fire service contract was previously in place but that contract had expired. The new contract has been modified to include a perpetuity clause, ensuring it won’t expire and will simply renew automatically. The list of properties has also been updated.
And more recently on June 13 yilmixwm kal?lupan (Chief Keith Crow) of LSIB and the Mayor of The Village of Keremeos, Jason Wiebe, signed an agreement between the two communities to coordinate the use of Emergency Support Services (ESS).
The agreement details how both communities will work together for the benefit of the citizens of Keremeos and the smalqmix for incidents that are affecting one or both communities.
yilmixwm kal?lupan (Chief Keith Crow) of LSIB and the Mayor of The Village of Keremeos, Jason Wiebe, signed an agreement between the two communities to coordinate the use of Emergency Support Services (ESS).
Within the framework of the agreement, LSIB and Keremeos will be teaming up with approaches to training, operations, and the messaging to the communities. “This is to ensure that area residents are receiving the best possible response, care, and information, regardless of whether residents live on reserve lands, within village boundaries, or on traditional territory,” the two said in a joint statement.
“The longer I live here, the more that I realize that everything is related,” said Wiebe. “To be learning from, and working with, the land’s original inhabitants for the betterment of all, and being able to pool resources together? This not only benefits villagers and the smalamix, but benefits everyone, including visitors.”
“The more that the village residents and smalqmix help each other, the stronger we will all be,” added Crow. “This agreement helps keep past incidents from repeating, helps our mutual response to grow, and sets a template for others who want to start to foster bi-lateral working relationships with their neighbours.”
