A small group of Poplar Drive residents have helped make Whitecourt safer by doing FireSmart work behind their homes.

 

 

Saturday, June 2 was Wildfire Community Preparedness Day across Canada. Thanks to generous support from Co-operators Insurance, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and the National Fire Protection Association, 94 communities received funding to support a variety of activities that will reduce the risk of wildfires.

Whitecourt was included in the 94 communities thanks to Poplar Drive resident, Neil Shewchuk. “I discussed this area (the bush line in between Flats Road and Poplar Drive) with Fire Chief Brian Wynn, with the closeness of this bush area to the residential neighbourhood and the work that’s been done over the last few years with FireSmart. He suggested applying for the grant and maybe cleaning up our area to make it a little bit safer for our community.”

Shewchuk reached out to the neighbours along his street and explained the project that he was hoping to accomplish and that he needed their help to do it. Roughly eight residences agreed to be part of the project. “We graciously received the grant and accepted it from Partners in Protection and FireSmart. Our goal is to get rid of some of the deadfall and tall grasses and make the area safer.”

After an overview from Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Andrusiak, the group of residents got to work, pulling out dead branches that littered the ground and marking trees for removal. Behind them followed the FireSmart crew as they mulched the debris and cut down the dead trees previously marked for them. The piles grew very quickly as they all made quick work of the bush line.

“Whitecourt is so fortunate in that no matter where you live it’s almost like you are living in a park and I think that cleaning this out is going to add to the beauty of the neighbourhood. I’m just glad we have a community group that’s willing to do their part to do the same,” said Neil. With the $500 FireSmart grant, the group purchased pizza for lunch and barbeque for supper. “We want to keep our volunteers happy, so we’ve got treats through the day to keep us going.”

Those who are interested in holding their own street clean up and applying for a grant to support the effort, are encouraged to check out www.firesmartcanada.ca and searching for Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. “If you talk to the Whitecourt Fire Department they can direct you if need be. I went online to do the application and it was so easy.” Residents can see the finished project by checking out the narrow bush that separates the backyards on Poplar Drive and Flats Road.