FireSmart plant/via FireSmart BC
The City of Kamloops has hit pause on the number of homeowners that it’s allowing into the new rebate program.
“We are at 195 assessment requests since we opened the program on Tuesday,” the City’s FireSmart Coordinator Kathleen Cahoon told Radio NL on Thursday. “Have had to put a hold on people requesting assessments, as we have to get through all of the current ones.”
“An overwhelming amount of interest in the program, which is great,” added Cahoon.
It comes only two days after the City first offered its new program, which allows residents within City limits to apply for funding between $150 and $800 to remove cedar and junipers from their properties.
“In October of last year, we put out a survey to the public,” noted Cahoon in conversation with Radio NL. “One of the biggest feedbacks we got back was there wasn’t any incentive programs for residents to actually do the work.”
The program, made public earlier in the week, freed up $80,000 a year from the City’s Climate Action Fund Reserve for this year, as well as the following two years, to provide cash for those who wanted to FireSmart.
It would require owners to cut down their cedar and juniper trees on their properties to try to reduce fire risk.
The amount of money would be determined by a FireSmart assessment, which would determine how much cash homeowners would be eligible for.
The work would have to be done within a month of the assessment being completed.
