The Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative (SWPI) will transition to a new Community Resiliency Investment Program (CRIP)

The Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative (SWPI) will transition to a new Community Resiliency Investment Program (CRIP), which will be informed by the recommendations of the recent BC Flood and Wildfire Review and other after-action reviews. The Province committed $50M over three years for the new program in Budget 2018.

Wildfires in BC are increasing in magnitude and frequency, resulting in threats to life, property, and quality of life. The 2017 fire season demonstrated that current approaches to wildfire risk reduction and prevention are not broad enough to substantively reduce the risk or increase the ability to withstand and recover quickly from the effects of wildfire.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development and its key partners, the Union of BC Municipalities, First Nations Emergency Services Society of BC, and the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, are now working to transition from SWPI to CRIP. The transition is intended to fund a broader suite of eligible activities that align with the FireSmart disciplines.

The seven FireSmart disciplines are: education, fuels management, legislation and planning, development considerations, interagency cooperation, emergency planning, and cross-training. Fundamentally, FireSmart and wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility.

CRIP is currently under development and will contain two funding categories:  Community Funding and Supports; and Landscape Level Priorities. Community Funding and Supports is dedicated funding for First Nations and local governments to participate in prevention activities, including on public and private land. Landscape Level Priorities is targeted towards funding fuel treatments on Crown land and is focused on high value assets.

Further information about CRIP, including application information, will be forthcoming.