What is FireSmart?
FireSmart is a methodology of managing for wildfire risk in our community. It is a proactive prevention program, which empowers individuals to share the responsibility of wildfire risk reduction with government and industry partners.
We all have the ability to reduce the risk to our homes, neighbours, and community through FireSmart.
Head to the FireSmart BC website for toolkits, guides, and other great resources.
Quick Links
FireSmart Begins at HomeReduce the potential impacts of wildfire on your home
View the interactive guide on how wildfires grow and spread: begins-at-home-guide.firesmartbc.ca
Will It Burn?
Increase the wildfire resiliency of your property!
Read about fire-resistant plants, landscaping best practices, and special plant tags to look for at firesmartbc.ca/landscaping-hub
Emergency Wildfire Preparedness Checklist
Download and print out the attached PDF to ensure you’ll be ready in case of an emergency.
What is the FireSmart Wildfire Mitigation Program?
The FireSmart BC Wildfire Mitigation Program (WMP) was designed to engage residents in voluntary wildfire mitigation activities by offering a professional home assessment with property-specific recommendations.
What is a FireSmart BC Wildfire Mitigation Property Assessment?
A FireSmart BC Wildfire Mitigation Property Assessment provides residents with:
- An in-depth, on-site assessment conducted by experienced fire professionals.
- An opportunity for property owners to identify mitigation actions unique to their property.
- A detailed follow-up report with customized mitigation actions designed to measurably reduce the wildfire risk to your property.
- An opportunity to earn FireSmart acknowledgement for your mitigation achievements through a certificate. The certificate is given upon successful completion of required mitigation actions and an on-site follow-up inspection.
- A mitigation certification that can be shared with participating insurance providers to showcase mitigation activities and may be eligible for insurance incentives or discounts. Please note: FireSmart does not share the assessment or any details of the assessment with the insurance industry.
- FireSmart Home signage for their property (upon successful completion of required mitigation actions and an on-site follow-up inspection).
Ember, the FireSmart Fox
Meet Ember, FireSmart’s official mascot. Ember teaches Canadians how to apply FireSmart principles to their homes and properties so they can be more resilient against the threat of wildfire.
Post-Fire Case Study for The 2023 Grouse Complex, BC 2023
In August 2023, the Grouse Complex of wildfires in the Okanagan region burned a total of 15,076 hectares, prompting the evacuation of about 30,700 people from 12,100 properties and affecting 303 structures.
To understand the impact of these fires, the BC FireSmart Committee and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) enlisted FPInnovations to analyze the Grouse Complex wildfires, which included the McDougall Creek, Clarke Creek, and Walroy Lake wildfires.
The study focused on:
1. How the wildfire spread into communities and how it continued to move once there.
2. Factors that caused or prevented damage to buildings.
The results provide practical recommendations to help governments, wildland and structural fire agencies, insurers, community leaders, residents and decision-makers in reducing wildfire risk in the future.
