Nelson Fire & Rescue Services released two short, animated videos to spread awareness of FireSmart and wildfire safety. These videos show how wildfires ignite structures and easy steps residents and businesses can take to reduce the risk of losing homes and buildings to wildfires.
“One of the reasons we wanted to create these short films was to illustrate how homeowners can prepare and protect their properties in the event of an ember shower” said Fire Chief Len MacCharles. “About 90% of structures lost during wildfires are due to embers traveling on wind, up to 2 kilometers from the main fire. That means anywhere in Nelson could experience ember transfer from a nearby wildfire”
These two shorts demonstrate the easy steps residents can take to “Be FireSmart – Today”. Chief MacCharles hopes that this format will help “Spread the message of how important FireSmart actions can be in protecting your home. The City of Nelson has done and continues to do a lot of work to lower the risk and impacts of wildfire, but we are all in this together and we all need to do our part.”
These videos were funded through the Wildfire Education Grant from the Columbia Basin Trust. The original jingle “Be Ready When the Hot Winds Blow” was written and performed by singer-songwriter Maddisun with @maddisunmusic out of Cranbrook, BC. Art direction was by Nathan Wilkinson, a Nelson Illustrator and animation was by Jonathan Ramos and Jack Chipman, both Nelson digital artists.
