As the province recovers from the most devastating wildfire season in B.C.’s history, FireSmart BC has released a new education program to teach the next generation how to keep their homes and communities safe.
“These are really important things that haven’t really been included in schools like fire signs, ecosystems, stewardship, wildfire prevention and mitigation,” said Amanda Reynolds, First Nations’ Emergency Services Society provincial FireSmart coordinator.
Reynolds says the new education lesson program was developed by teachers for teachers and was created to be accessible and free so that teachers can incorporate it into their curriculum easily.
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“When I was a student, the big thing was recycling and no one really knew it was a thing and I remember people coming to our school and talking about these big garbage piles that would be left over, and now the recycling program, we all know what to do,” said Reynolds.
“It’s all about educating the youth, change really comes from the youth and so empowering them to make those changes.”
If students and their families follow the program and make sure their homes are FireSmart, they have a better chance of saving their homes or even their neighbourhood in the event of another disastrous wildfire season.
“What we want to see is kids working with their parents, looking at their homes and seeing if there are things they should be doing,” said Reynolds.
Right now the program is available for students from kindergarten to Grade 6. Next month, the next part of the program for grades 7 to 12 will be available. However, everyone is welcome to learn from the program.
For more information visit www.firesmartbc.ca
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