PO Box 27 Saturna BC VON 2Y0 11th October 2019 
email: info@sirra.ca 
In reference to: Application by Saturna Island Fire Protection Society to the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) 
To whom it may concern, 
On behalf of Saturna Island Ratepayers and Residents Association (SIRRA)1 write in support of the Saturna Island Fire Protection Society's application for funding. 
In any small community (pop. 350 on Saturna) a fire emergency is dangerous on a small island with few roads it can be a disaster. With the high proportion of treed areas on our lovely Saturna Island and the hot dry weather we experience during the summer, the risk of such a disaster can be high and life threatening. 
Our volunteer firefighters have regular jobs to attend to — but they find time to train hard to provide us with the confidence that we are safe in our homes and within the island. Financial support for a good training program will help those existing volunteers and encourage new volunteers to step forward. 
In addition, they proactively engage with the community to educate and provide practical demonstrations of ways to increase fire safety. An example is the on-going Saturna FireSmart Campaign. 
Saturna Island is an increasingly popular destination for tourists in the summer campers, cyclists, boaters, family visitors — all of whom may have limited experience of living in a high fire risk environment. A full corps of well-trained firefighters is essential to ensuring everyone remains safe on Saturna. 
The SIRRA Board hopes that you will regard the SIPS application for funding for training favorably, Yours sincerely, airead B9jand 

SIRRA Vice-President 
On behalf of the Board