The small community of Queen’s Bay on the shore of Kootenay Lake has been given official Firesmart status.
As Balfour Harrop Deputy Fire Chief Nora Hannon explains it’s national recognition for the community-wide participation in making the area safer from wildfire.
To be considered Firesmart a community invests $2 per capita into education or fuel mitigation work.
Among their efforts they have thinned out brush around the community hall , installed a roof top sprinkler system and brought in thousand-gallon water storage tanks which were sold to residents.