Rocky View County (RVC) has implemented a protection program aimed to help residents avoid flood and fire disasters.
The Fire and Flood Home Protection Program (FFHPP) is free and available to RVC residents. According to Fire Chief Randy Smith, the program is designed to help people protect their homes and property from future disasters.
“We are still seeing the impacts of the Bragg Creek flood in 2013,” Smith said. “People are starting to realize that they have to do their part.”
The flood assessment is a 90-minute process in which a trained assessor conducts a 50-point visual assessment of a property and develops a list of actions for homeowners to take to reduce flood risks. The process is nearly the same with the home FireSmart assessment, Smith said, but takes two hours to complete.
Through the program, Smith said, residents not only have the opportunity to have their property assessed for free, they now have the chance to apply for grant funding to help pay for work needed to keep themselves, their family and their property safe.
“If there is work that needs to be done like gutters that need to be cleaned or trees need to be removed, the homeowner can get a contractor in and apply for a grant to do some of this work,” Smith said.
Grants of up to approximately $9,000 per household are available for combined fire and flood improvements. Of that potential funding, up to $7,454 is for home improvements to address flooding and up to $1,600 is for fire improvements to protect against fire. Smith said the County is managing the funding, which comes from the Canadian Red Cross.
After the 2013 flood, he added, people donated money to the Red Cross’s flood response.
“There was money left over,” Smith said. “[The Red Cross] wanted to see how they could take that money and have a direct impact on the residents.”
Smith said the grant funding is available for two years. As the program kicked off in August 2019, there is still a year for residents who have had the assessments to apply for funding.
“Unless we find another grant, which we are always looking for, funding will run out,” Smith said. “People need to move now.”
Smith said the grant process begins once the assessment is complete. He added with impacts on the economy due to COVID-19, RVS is hopeful the funding will be helpful to residents.
“There are so many pressures today on the economy,” said Smith. “This is just one more thing that we can make a difference on.”
Residents interested in having their home assessed can find more information and register at rockyview.ca/protect.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
