Skip to content

Prince George to host massive wildfire event

Prince George is about to host a massive wildfire event.

The Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit (WRTS) is an important five-day event that will attract more than 650 members of the B.C. FireSmart community, including First Nation members, local governments, the Province of B.C., fire departments, local FireSmart representatives, wildfire mitigation specialists, firefighters, researchers, emergency managers, wildfire scientists, and industry partners.

The summit will kick off with two days of training for B.C. firefighting professionals, followed by a three-day in-person conference at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre. The conference offers a range of informative workshops and expert panels led by captivating wildfire resiliency leaders that will help professionals prepare for the upcoming wildfire season.

The theme for this year’s event is “recover, rebuild, prepare,” which recognizes the importance of resilience after experiencing unprecedented wildfires, rebuilding communities with FireSmart principles in mind, and preparing for future wildfire activity.

Events will include:

  • One of several anticipated keynote presentations is ‘Achieving Resilience in the Face of Fire’ led by Kara McCurdy, Wildfire Prevention Officer, Department of Natural Resources and Renewables from Nova Scotia on
    Monday, April 22 at 9:30 a.m..
  • The Lynn Orstad Award presentation honours women who have made significant contributions to wildfire resilience and advocacy. Winners will be announced in an award presentation at 4:45 p.m. on Monday, April 22.
  • Another highly anticipated keynote presentation is ‘Supporting Dynamic and Proactive Fire Management in British Columbia’ led by Dr. Kira Hoffman, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of British Columbia and Bulkley Valley Research Centre at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, April 23.
  • In recognition of the critical role that wildland firefighters play in keeping the province safe, FireSmart BC, the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society, and BC Wildfire Service have partnered to create the new BC
    Wildland Firefighter Awards. Five firefighters (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) will be honoured at a ceremony at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24.

2024 Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit Promo from FireSmartBC on Vimeo.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *