Metro Vancouver’s watershed protection staff are trained up, fully equipped, and standing by for this year’s wildfire season.
The protection program provides wildfire response for the Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam water supply areas, Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, and Electoral Area A, and assists with fires within regional parks as needed. Fires in our water supply areas are primarily caused by lightning strikes, and most fires are extinguished quickly due to rapid discovery and response
Cooperation with provincial and municipal partners is key to the program. Last fall Metro Vancouver created a Watershed Wildfire Strategic Partners Working Group, which meets monthly to share initiatives; support planning, preparation, and cross training for wildfire responses; and build strong relationships between the District of North Vancouver, District of West Vancouver, City of Coquitlam, and BC Wildfire Service. Metro Vancouver also has a unique arrangement to provide back up support to the BC Wildfire Service. In 2021, Metro Vancouver crews were deployed to the province’s Haig Fire Base in Hope to provide support for 58 days.
Learn more about Metro Vancouver’s Protection Program here.
