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Third annual Wildfire Community Preparedness Day launched


February 2, 2017   by Canadian Underwriter


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The third annual Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (WCPD) will be held on May 6, the Partners in Protection Association/FireSmart Canada said on Thursday.

People in communities throughout Canada will have an opportunity to apply for funding to support efforts to strengthen their resilience against wildfire by participating in the event, The Co-operators said in a press release. The announcement was made by the Partners in Protection Association/FireSmart Canada, in collaboration with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) and The Co-operators.

The national WCPD campaign brings groups together across the country to participate in local mitigation projects that reduce the risk of wildfire damage to their homes and neighbourhoods, the release explained. Beginning Feb. 2, through to March 21, groups and individuals are invited to apply for funding to support local events beginning May 6 and continuing throughout the summer. Up to 20 projects will receive funding. For a list of application rules, project ideas and more information on the event, visit firesmartcanada.ca.

Projects may include clearing leaves with other combustible debris from around homes and other structures, working with neighbours to get a chipper service to remove slash, and distributing wildfire safety information.

“Managing the risk of wildfire is a shared responsibility in which many stakeholders, from governments to individual community members, can and must play constructive roles,” Kelly Johnston, executive director of FireSmart Canada, said in the release. “We appreciate the strong leadership and support The Co-operators, ICLR and NFPA are providing on this issue as our founding WCPD partners; and are very pleased to be working with all of them in building communities’ resilience to wildfire.”

FireSmart Canada is administered by the Partners in Protection Association; a non-profit coalition of federal, provincial, First Nations’, private industry and municipal fire, emergency and land management experts. Through publications, programs, outreach training and workshops, the organization provides tools for Canadians to become proactive in reducing the risk of wildfire to their homes and communities.

The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian co-operative with more than $44 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies, it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products.

The NFPA is a global non-profit organization established in 1896 and devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. It delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy, and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering our mission.

The ICLR is an independent, not-for-profit research institute based in Toronto and at Western University in London, Ont. It is a centre of excellence for disaster loss prevention research and education, with research staff internationally recognized for pioneering work in a number of fields, including wind and seismic engineering, atmospheric sciences, water resources engineering and economics.


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