An early warning system for extreme weather and resources to be used for wildfire training will be developed thanks to a multi-agency partnership based in Kamloops.
In a news release, Thompson Rivers University said all three members of the Interior University Research Coalition — which also includes UBC Okanagan in Kelowna and the University of Northern B.C. in Prince George — have partnered with the City of Kamloops and BC Wildfire Service as part of the project.
Research will be conducted by the three universities to implement new innovations, technology, training and education in wildfire science over a three year period
The project’s principal investigator will be TRU wildfire expert and BC Innovation Research Chair Dr. Mike Flannigan, who will work alongside TRU’s Carolyn Ives, UBCO’s Mathieu Bourbonnais and UNBC’s Ché Elkin.
“Fire management is challenging and will be even more challenging with increasing fire intensity, expanding wildland urban interface and the increasing demands on fire management. Enhanced training and an enhanced early warning system are critical to meet these challenges,” Flannigan said.
TRU said the research will support the City of Kamloops’ Community Wildfire Protection Plan and its future Community Wildfire Resilience Plan.
“The wildland urban interface fire risk is very high in the Kamloops area. As a result, a large part of the preparedness and response work done by the City is to address this risk,” said Kamloops Fire Rescue Chief Ken Uzeloc.
“Tools that can help the City identify, prepare for, and respond to those risks — especially through prevention efforts — will benefit our residents, responders and organizations.”
The university said the project is made possible through $292,500 in funding from Mitacs, a national not-for-profit that backs “critical, unique research and training programs.” The funding supports internships for four master’s students and a post-doctoral fellow from the three universities.
TRU said the partnership will complement its recently launched TRU Wildfire initiative, following the announcement of a “world-leading” wildfire training and education centre would be built on the university’s campus. The centre would train and educate firefighters and experts through a partnership between TRU and BCWS.
The university says it will collaborate with BCWS on research initiatives and will offer new degrees in wildfire and emergency management disciplines.
TRU approved its Institute of Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency last year, which aims to conduct research aimed at preventing, mitigating, responding to and recovering from wildfires.
