As part of its ongoing commitment to wildfire prevention and community safety, the City of Kamloops, in collaboration with Kamloops Fire Rescue, is providing a one-day chipping service to mitigate fire risk in the Juniper Ridge and Rose Hill neighbourhoods. Chipping will take place in Juniper on May 13 and on May 14 in Rose Hill—the service is limited to the first 20 registrants of each neighbourhood.

Recognizing the importance of fuel mitigation in reducing wildfire hazards, over 900 ac. of green space within the city have undergone extensive fuel mitigation efforts. These initiatives are integral to the City's comprehensive wildfire prevention strategy and aim to create safer environments for residents and mitigate the potential spread of wildfires.

Juniper Ridge and Rose Hill have been identified as priority areas for the free chipping service due to their proximity to green spaces and high volume of requests for FireSmart assessments. By targeting these neighborhoods first, the City and Kamloops Fire Rescue aim to maximize the impact of fuel mitigation efforts and create safer zones for residents.

“Now is the time for all residents to start thinking about what they can do around their homes to have the best chance should a wildfire advance on their home,” said Jeff Pont, Kamloops Fire Rescue’s Life and Fire Safety Educator. “FireSmart is an amazing program with incredible results. The first step in creating a FireSmart zone is to remove all the combustibles around your home, and cedars are a great place to start.”

Cedar hedges are prized for their beauty and privacy but require substantial water and maintenance. Through the free chipping service, homeowners can reduce fire risk and alleviate the burden of cedar hedge maintenance.

Juniper Ridge and Rose Hill residents who wish to take advantage of this offer must register their property with Kamloops Fire Rescue at 250-320-7641.

To ensure their cedars are chipped, homeowners must remove them and place the cedar material at the edge of their property by the street. A crew will arrive on the scheduled day to perform the chipping. Homeowners do not need to be home. Any cedar shrub, regardless of its size, can be chipped. Participating homeowners must note that this offer is exclusively for cedar bushes. Non-cedar shrubs will be left behind.