It's Dry Out There. Is Gabriola Island Prepared for a Wildfire?

Will has lived on Gabriola for decades and protecting his parents and his own family is what drives him to do such dangerous work in a severe wildfire season. He informs Theresa of the various steps the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department have taken to keep islanders safe, from practicing evacuations to neighbourhood education meetings on emergency preparedness to signs at the entrance to the village and elsewhere on the island. He feels confident that islanders are following the rules, such as no fires.

Will discusses some properties that have been well-organized to meet Fire Smart recommendations. He encourages viewers to visit the GVFD website, and in particular the Fire Smart page at https://www.gabriolafire.ca/fire-smart, for more information on how to decrease the risk to their property and home. He also recalls the island’s experience during a six-day communications outage last winter. 9-11 was down and the firehall was turned into a dispatch centre during the emergency. He has been actively working to create stronger cooperation among various agencies, including the establishment of a common radio frequency coming from a repeater on Mt. Benson on Vancouver Island.

Will understands that visitors coming to the island may need gentle reminders about the current dry conditions. He agrees with O’Leary that a warning about the severe fire risk should be made by the Captain on board Gabriola ferries and explains it was a practice in place in the past but was dropped when the 2nd ferry came to serve Gabriola.

Journalist: Theresa O'Leary

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