The City of Thompson is the first Manitoba community to complete a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The City of Thompson recently completed a two-part CWPP with assistance from the Manitoba Wildfire Program and the Office of the Fire Commissioner using FireSmart Canada’s guiding documents. Thompson’s CWPP (Part 1) was developed to ensure an organized pre-planned response to active wildfire threats. The Wildfire Mitigation Strategy (Part 2) is a proactive community protection response for the implementation of FireSmart concepts including vegetation management, public education and community development options.
As the first Manitoba community to complete a CWPP, Thompson’s plan can be used as a template for other communities. Elements of the plan include steps to reduce the risk of fire approaching a community, quick access to information such as a list of structures that would be targeted for sprinklers, identifying staging areas and shelters, and clearly defined roles of responding agencies.