When it comes to wildfire preparedness, Langford’s Thetis Heights community is setting the bar high.
The community came together to host a wildfire preparedness day this past weekend, giving residents the opportunity to learn how to keep their homes, themselves and loved ones safe as wildfire season approaches.
The event featured educational activities, information tables from local organizations, and many hotdogs enjoyed by the roughly 200 attendees.
Anne Pokocky was one of the main organizers.
“This event took several months to plan and turned out to be quite the undertaking,” she said, taking extra time to acknowledge the work of her collaborators Millie Vandale, Terri Dyrda and Rebecca Blouin.
“I wanted to create a day that offered something for everyone — fun, hands-on activities for kids to learn about FireSmart in an engaging way, and meaningful, practical information for adults to spark interest in becoming more resilient and better prepared.”
Pokocky said the community’s response was overwhelmingly positive, with residents getting involved in the planning, students from Belmont and Royal Bay Secondary Schools volunteering, local businesses joining in, and Millstream Elementary creating a poster — among many other groups taking part.
Organizers earned high praise from Langford–Malahat MLA and B.C. Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar.
“If you went to that event, many would be surprised that the people at the tables hosting community initiatives, trying to spread information — these are all people that live right within your neighbourhood,” Parmar said.
“I think that sends a very strong message: wildfire preparedness, FireSmarting your communities and FireSmarting yourself is not something that can just be dictated by a government. It has to be community-led and community-driven.”
The event was held in conjunction with Community Wildfire Preparedness Day — an annual national campaign focused on community-led wildfire preparedness initiatives.
The event featured FireSmart and BC Wildfire Service initiatives that emphasized awareness, preparedness, education, safety and resilience.
For Parmar, who resides in the area, the event offered a unique crossover between his home and professional lives.
“It was a great day for me to take the work I’m doing in my ministry — as the minister of forests and the minister responsible for the BC Wildfire Service — and connect it to my home community, and in particular, my home neighbourhood,” said Parmar, who gave high praise to the Langford Fire Department and the Thetis Heights community.
“They have gone above and beyond in their personal preparedness and the work they’ve been doing on wildfire preparedness.”
Parmar said the efforts of his home community are being acknowledged not just on Vancouver Island, but across B.C.
“When I was in Penticton a number of weeks ago at a wildfire resiliency conference, I had a lot of people coming up to me saying, ‘You’ve got to look at Langford and see what they’re doing. You’ve got to see the incredible work that Langford has done on FireSmart,’” he said. “Some folks didn’t even realize that I was from Langford.”
“I think it was a great day to celebrate the work and acknowledge the important education that needs to continue.”
Tianna Dupuis, the FireSmart representative with the City of Langford, helped coordinate the event alongside the Thetis Heights community. For her, it was inspiring to see residents come together.
“They did it all on their own because they want their community to be more prepared. They understand the risk they face living up against Thetis Heights and the heavily forested Highlands area,” said Dupuis.
“So, at the end of the day, I’m truly inspired by what a group of community members can do once empowered to do so.”
Not only did residents organize the event, but a number of other organizations also participated, including FireSmart BC, Langford Fire Rescue, Langford Emergency Support Services, Broken Promises Pet Rescue and Millstream Elementary School, which hosted the event.
For Pokocky, seeing the community come together like this was “incredibly heartening.”
"Not one person said no when I asked for help. It was especially rewarding to watch neighbours connect – some for the first time," Pokocky said.
