Community FireSmart and Resiliency Committees (CFRCs)

A CFRC fills a key level of collaboration and organization on a scalable level that is currently missing across B.C.

It takes the collaborative efforts of multiple stakeholders working together to achieve wildfire resilient communities. This may include local fire departments, First Nations and/or local government staff and elected officials, provincial government organizations such as the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) and BC Wildfire Service, industry representatives and other community stakeholders.

The Community Firesmart and Resiliency Committee can provide the missing link bringing partners
together under a common vision connected to the seven Firesmart disciplines. The purpose of the CFRC is to strengthen collaboration between key partners including local communities and provincial agency staff (EMCR, Ministry of Forests) with stakeholders to coordinate, plan and share information on how to successfully implement the seven FireSmart disciplines at a regional or multi-scale level.

As B.C. is such a varied province in terms of risk, level of involvement, and existing governance structures, there is no one set of criteria or format suggested. The remainder of this document will outline suggestions regarding scale, structure, relationships and activities that will help facilitate the creation and starting phases of a CFRC. This document is created for local government, First Nations, and those involved in building resilient communities by following the seven FireSmart disciplines as a holistic approach to reducing wildfire risk to communities.