Fire departments across the Peace Region are set to benefit from a significant boost in provincial funding aimed at enhancing emergency response capabilities.
The communities of Taylor, Pouce Coupe, Hudson’s Hope, and Chetwynd will collectively receive nearly $140,000 for equipment upgrades and training.
The District of Taylor will be allocated just under $31,000 to support its 2025 Fire and Rescue Plan. Pouce Coupe is slated to receive $31,821, which will go towards upgrading communication systems. In Hudson’s Hope, funds totaling $37,485 will be used to replace fire hoses and procure self-contained breathing apparatuses to improve firefighter safety. Meanwhile, nearly $40,000 is earmarked for equipment upgrades in Chetwynd.
“By providing funding for equipment and training, we’re strengthening local firefighting capabilities so that people in rural and remote communities who depend on volunteer or partial volunteer fire departments are safer and better protected,” said Kelly Greene, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness in a news release.
This funding is part of a $9 million investment through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) that will support 230 fire departments across British Columbia.
Since being established in 2017, the province has allocated $369 million to the CEPF. Around $310 million has already been distributed to First Nations and local governments, funding approximately 2,300 projects aimed at enhancing community preparedness for disasters and climate-related emergencies.