Charred metal and heaps of ash. That’s what remains of Joel Patan’s Faulder home after the fast-moving Bald Range wildfire burned through on Aug. 7. “No family in British Columbia should go through what we went through, and so much can be prevented,” Patan said Friday. The remnants of Patan’s home also provided the backdrop for the B.C. Conservative leader, who promised a wildfire action plan if his party forms government. “The problem is a broken bureaucratic system that plagues us repeatedly. A system in which forestry treatments, controlled burns, and emergency responses are treated as isolated silos,” said Lorne Doerkson, leader of the B.C. Conservatives. The Conservatives said their plan includes clearing dangerous forest fuels around communities, increased controlled burns and investing in water bombers. “B.C. does not currently own any aircraft to fight fires. We will invest $400 million to purchase a fleet of water bombers, creating a dedicated capacity to fight wildfires every single year,” Doerkson said. Meanwhile, the NDP announced new support for families impacted by recent wildfires. “We’ll match Red Cross donations that people have made with provincial funding,” said NDP leader David Eby in Kelowna. The new program, with a specific focus on uninsured properties, provides funds designed to offer longer-term support as people recover and rebuild. “This will be material and significant support for the communities that are struggling with the impact of wildfire,” he said. Patan, whose property was insured, said there are many losses not covered by insurance. He said the amount he’s been offered by the Red Cross, a one-time payment of $2,000, won’t go far. “These are families that have nothing. It is a drop in the bucket. Anything helps, but there has to be something a little bit more of substance,” he told CTV News. In Patan’s community, residents are calling for government help for training and equipment, so they fight small fires when they spot them. The Conservative leader said he would support the initiative through the wildfire innovation fund his party would create if elected. “We want to be able to access those funds for exactly these types of programs,” he said when asked about Faulder’s request. Meanwhile, Eby said, “Whether it’s fire response or the requirements around rebuilding, we’re going to be there.” More than one hundred properties in Faulder suffered losses in the massive Bald Range Wildfire. It’s estimated that about 30 per cent of those whose homes burned did not have insurance. Doerkson said that over the past decade, more than seven million hectares in B.C. have burned, pushing firefighting costs into the billions.
