On Saturday, May 27th, Nelson Fire & Rescue Services and the Regional District of Central Kootenay Wildfire Mitigation Program are hosting the second Rail Trail Volunteer FireSmart Day to remove logs, branches and dead trees along a section of the Rail Trail to reduce the ability of a wildfire to travel through the firebreak. As Fire Chief Hebert said, “The Rail Trail is a recreational corridor for our community; it also acts as a fire break and just like we all need to FireSmart our properties, we also need to FireSmart this firebreak so a fire is less likely to impact our community.”
Signs will be posted along the trail where the work will be taking place to inform trail users what is happening. The trail will remain open, but there will be a lot of work going on, and we ask for the trail user’s patience and understanding. There will also be some informative and educational signage along the Trail that will remain in place to help explain what has been done and how FireSmart works.
We are still looking for 30 volunteers, so if you are able to help from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, please go to https://firesmartnelson.eventbrite.com. All volunteers must be registered in advance to participate. A light lunch and a Nelson FireSmart Team T-shirt will be provided to all volunteers.
This event is made possible thanks to funding from Columbia Basin Trust and support from BC Wildfire Service. It is sure to be a day full of community spirit, fun, wildfire education and a little elbow grease.
