Photo: Contributed

A man who saved his home from the Rock Creek wildfire last August is calling a proposed amendment that would allow police to arrest those not following evacuation orders “ludicrous,” “stupid” and “just wrong.”

A discussion paper recently released by the provincial government recommends following Manitoba’s lead, in giving police greater authority in times of emergency.

This would include providing police with the right of entry to a home, which under usual circumstances requires a warrant, the use of reasonable force to enforce an evacuation order, and the authority of the province to force the apprehended individual to pay for the costs incurred in the arrest.

This past August, as the Rock Creek wildfire came barrelling down on his home, Michael Fenwick-Wilson, along with his neighbours, defied an evacuation order and saved their homes.

“We saved all of our houses and a huge amount of area that would have definitely burned. There’s no doubt about it, we definitely would have lost it,” Fenwick-Wilson said. “The police were, in my situation, quite good. They just took our names, and asked if we had a plan if things went bad, and we did.”

Fenwick-Wilson said the proposed changes to B.C.’s Emergency Program Act don’t make sense in rural areas like Rock Creek.

“We’re not in the city here where you’ve got fire trucks that can come help you out,” he said.

The discussion paper notes that when a person decides to ignore an evacuation order, it “can have serious implications not only for themselves, but also other people in the affected area,” like emergency crews.

Fenwick-Wilson said they once had a list of people who demonstrated they had the equipment and the skills to fight fires in Rock Creek. He would like to see them go back to that model, where those who are able, are allowed to fight.

Focusing on arresting those who choose to stay behind wastes resources that should be used to help those who really need assistance, according to Fenwick-Wilson.

“Lots of people need to be evacuated, lots of people need help. That’s where the energy needs to be put, not arresting guys who want to stay.”

Even if the legislation was in place last August, Fenwick-Wilson says it wouldn’t have changed any of their minds.

“My neighbour there, he has no insurance because he can’t afford it, but he has a really nice house and a nice property and if that had burned he would have had nothing, he’d be virtually homeless. Try and tell me how you’re going to keep a guy like that off his land,” he said. “We wouldn’t have left, not even in handcuffs, it would have taken gunpoint. I’m absolutely serious.”

A number of Fenwick-Wilson’s neighbours who were away from their properties during the fire made it back to their homes after the evacuation order had been put in place.

One man even kayaked down the river from Westbridge, through the fire area, to protect his home.

“He had no choice, he would have lost everything that he’d been building for 40 years.”

The government has extended the deadline to submit feedback on the proposed changes to April 22.

Feedback can be sent to this website.