Wildfire Season – How to FireSmart Your Home

Those homes that have prepared will be the homes left standing. FireSmart your home to significantly reduce the risk to your property.

The FireSmart™ program helps Canadians live with and better manage during inevitable wildfire season during the hot months of summer and early fall.

To Firesmart your home is to become more wildfire resilient as a property owner and as a member of your community. FireSmart, consisting of seven disciplines is a comprehensive program, that extends from us, as homeowners, up to the landscape land management level.

FireSmart principles have proven to be very effective at reducing both the risk to life and homes and property even during the most extreme wildfire conditions.

Backed by an expansive amount of field, laboratory, and wildfire modelling research, the FireSmart program helps reduce the risk of losses under even the worst fire conditions.

FireSmart™ can help you be far better prepared for wildfire season

With summer – and wildfire season! – right around the corner, you may be noticing communities getting mobilized – culling brush, dead trees, and highly flammable junipers, and organizing community chipping events. This is all part of the FireSmart BC program to encourage communities to protect homes and property this wildfire season.

The long days and weeks of hot, dry weather will be upon us soon enough… along with the increased risk of wildfire. It’s been five years since we watched in horror as the Fort McMurray wildfires ravaged homes and businesses. on record as the costliest insured natural disaster in Canadian history, the claims filed amounted to almost $3.8 billion.

FireSmart your home – a FREE Online Course

To help with thorough wildfire preparedness, for homeowners, communities, and the various other individuals and organizations who manage private and public lands, the FireSmart program recommends a variety of effective actionable steps as we brace for another fire season.

Over the past three decades, Natural Resources Canada (NRC) estimates that approximately 2.5 million hectares (that’s 6 million football fields!) have been destroyed by forest and wildfires in Canada each year. The costs, fire suppression resources only, is approximately $500 million to $1 billion a year.

With the number and incidences of devastating wildfires only predicted to increase across Canada, the need for education is clear. Individuals, communities, businesses, and organizations need to have the appropriate information to take the necessary precautions for effective prevention and protection.  To help, FireSmart Canada has launched a FREE online course.

A 1-hour online course, FireSmart 101 provides a good introduction to the program and how we as homeowners and community members can protect our homes and properties.

Throughout the short course, you’ll learn the primary FireSmart disciplines and understand the FireSmart home ignition zone, along with other very helpful information. You’ll be quizzed briefly at the end to ensure that you understand the material. It’s a short program – not a lecture! – and is a highly accessible tool, designed to help you feel better prepared and much more empowered when it comes to the unpredictability of wildfires.

Take the FREE FireSmart 101 course.

Be informed to protect your home and property from forest and wildfires

Be sure to take the FireSmart 101 course, and also read our comprehensive advice about how to protect your home and property from forest and wildfire damage.  Armed with all possible information will help you feel assured that you’ve done as much as you can to prepare for wildfire season.

Also, to keep abreast of wildfire activity in our region and throughout the province, bookmark the link to the British Columbia interactive wildfire map.

More FireSmart BC Resources!

FireSmart BC Magazine

For all British Columbians, from individual homeowners to local and regional governments to First Nations, the FireSmart BC Magazine has been created to keep you up-to-date on everything pertaining to the FireSmart program. Stay informed with all the latest news, FireSmart tips, success stories, and more. Read it now!

Listen to the FireSmart BC Podcast

A primary goal of FireSmart BC is to find engaging and creative ways to get the message of wildfire prevention and mitigation to all British Columbians.

The program has developed compelling and valuable messaging and is delivering it to all of us when and where we’re able to consume it – at our desk, in the car, or working in the garden. To that end, FireSmart has jumped into the podcast pond with both feet! Be sure to subscribe on your favourite podcast platform: Get FireSmart™ Podcast! Listen now!

Is your neighbourhood FireSmart?

FireSmart Canada officially recognizes over 100 neighbourhoods across BC as being prepared for the threat of wildfire. Check if your community is on the list of “FireSmart Recognized Neighbourhoods“.

Do you have questions about your home and property and the possible impact of forest or wildfires? Chances are, your homeowner’s policy (condo, tenant, farm, commercial, and auto) provides the proper coverage.

BUT, as some damage can be limited or excused, you might have questions about your fire converage. TALK TO US!