New FireSmart Program Open to Alberta Municipalities
The Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) is now accepting expressions of interest (EOI) for its new FireSmart Program.
Open to all municipalities, and offering up to $200,000 in funding, the program helps communities and residents manage and reduce the threat of wildfire.
To be eligible, projects must be related to one or more of the seven disciplines of the FireSmart program, including:
- Planning (e.g., FireSmart community plan: wildfire preparedness guides and wildfire mitigation strategies; resource-sharing and mutual-aid fire control agreements);
- Vegetation / Fuel management (e.g., fuel breaks, thinning and pruning, vegetation removal / reduction and conversion to more fire-resistant species);
- Public education (e.g., increased awareness regarding wildfire threat and application of FireSmart principles);
- Inter-agency cooperation and cross-training;
- Legislation and planning (e.g., review provincial and municipal legislation, land-use bylaws and plans);
- Development (e.g., new subdivision development re: roadway access; water supply and utilities placement), and;
- Emergency planning (e.g., develop or update procedures and response plans, and upgrading existing developments to FireSmart standards).
The FRIAA is holding information sessions on Jan. 25 and 31. Please send an email with your name, title, and organization to admin [at] friaa.ab.ca (admin[at]friaa[dot]ab[dot]ca) to register.
EOI submissions are due Feb. 18 – for more information, please visit this webpage and download the EOI package.
