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Cranbrook, BC (September 25, 2024) – Ensuring the safety and well-being of homeless members of our community residing in and around Moir Park ahead of last week’s prescribed burn would not have been possible without the exceptional efforts from our local social service groups.

On Thursday, September 19, a prescribed burn was undertaken, as part of the City’s ongoing efforts to help manage the local wildfire risk for Cranbrook. Fire & Emergency Services relied heavily on many of our local social service groups, and the City’s Social Development Coordinator to address the needs of those impacted individuals.

“As a Fire Chief, it is very reassuring to see and experience the exceptional abilities of our social service and support agencies when they partner with a common goal in our community. In this case, they were engaged in ensuring that any of the impacted occupants of Moir Park had all the information and support required to keep safe during and immediately after the prescribed fire,” says Chief Scott Driver, Fire & Emergency Services. “I cannot speak highly enough about the support that was provided, and the manner in which they were able to coordinate and support one another as the operational plan of burning the site rolled out.”  

The Moir Park site posed some unique challenges for the burn team with a portion of our most vulnerable population living within the boundary of the planned burn. On the operational side, the City’s burn team worked very hard to ensure that the operation and occupation of the site could coexist in a safe manner, but not without exceptional participation of our stakeholders and trained professionals.

“I believe we are fortunate as a community to have such caring individuals working across our little City, and I wish to sincerely and publicly thank them for their role in ensuring the Moir Park prescribed fire was delivered in an exceptionally safe and compassionate manner for all the citizens of Cranbrook,” Driver adds.

Although the total area at Moir Park expected to be treated couldn’t be completed due to environmental issues which hampered efforts to successfully carry out the prescribed burn, the smaller portion of Moir Park that was treated will provide benefit to the community, by helping reduce the risk of wildfire.

“Where we were able to treat, on the east side of Moir Park, we achieved really good landscape fuel reduction, which will provide good wildfire protection for a number of years to nearby businesses and properties in the industrial park,” Driver says.