Thompson Nicola Regional District hires recovery manager to oversee wildfire relief efforts

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has hired Bob Finley as a recovery manager charged withorganizingwildfire relief efforts and assisting residentsaffected by last summer'sB.C. wildfires.

• Recovery managers hired in the Caribooto aid B.C. wildfire relief efforts

The former manager of development servicefor the Thompson-Nicola Regional came out of his seven-year retirement to step into the role starting Nov. 6.

Finley said his experience during the 2003 wildfire season will helphim in thenew job.

"I know how distraught and how confused landowners and homeowners were [in 2003] when they lost property, and I thought that this is an opportunity for me to step in and be able to bring some experience to the table and hopefully help those folks out," he said.

Finley's role will be to help guide peoplethrough the process of wildfire recovery and answer any questions they might have.

The temporary job is scheduled to last betweenfour to six months, butFinley said that timeframe could be adjusted if needed.

"It's likely to evolve and change as we spend more time engaging with the property owners who have been impacted."

The Thompson-Nicola Regional Districtestimates more than 230 structures were destroyed or significantly damagedby wildfires this past summer.

Finley's contact information can be found on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District's website.