FireSmart

The Home Ignition Zone is the area within 30 metres of your home and structures. It is made up of three priority areas: The Immediate Zone, Intermediate Zone, and Extended Zone.

Read about FireSmart changes you can make

Depending on your lot size, you may only have the ability to control some of the zones listed above. It's important to incorporate FireSmart changes, where possible on your property, to reduce your risk of future wildfire damage.

A full list of tips for each priority zone can be found in the FireSmart Begins at Home Guide

The non-combustible zone is the area between 0-1.5 meters of your home and deck. This zone also includes the structure of your home itself and the materials used to build your home. Here are basic FireSmart tips for this zone:

• Remove leaves, pine needles and other debris from your roof and gutters.
• Ensure external siding is free from cracks, gaps or holes.
• When building or renovating your home and/or deck, use non-combustible and fire-resistant materials
• Maintain a 1.5 metre non-combustible zone around your home and deck. You can do this by raking down to mineral soil, laying rock or adding concrete.
• Move combustible items such as toys, propane tanks and firewood piles being stored under your deck or up against your home. These items should be at least 10 meters away from your home or stored safely inside a shed or garage.
• Ensure all doors going into your home are fire rated and have a tight seal. This also applies to garage doors.

• Mow grass and weeds within 10 metres of the house to 10 centimetres in length or less.
• Clear vegetation and debris along both sides of combustible (wood) fence lines.
• Plant deciduous (leafy) trees as opposed to evergreen trees, as evergreens dry out quickly and can ignite easily when in contact with embers and flame.
• If evergreen trees are present in this zone, be sure to keep them well maintained by cleaning up fallen debris regularly and pruning branches up at least two meters from the ground.
• Avoid using mulch in your garden beds. Mulch dries out quickly in our hot weather conditions and can ignite easily when in contact with embers and flame.
• Include debris clean-up in Spring and Fall as part of your yard maintenance.
• Move trailers, recreational vehicles, firewood piles, and combustible construction materials out of this zone. 

• Burn barrels should be placed as far as possible from structures and trees. Keep the area within 3 metres of the burn barrel free of combustible material.
• Power lines should be clear of branches and other vegetation. Contact your local utility company to discuss removing any branches or vegetation around overhead electrical installations.
• Plant deciduous (leafy) trees as opposed to evergreen trees, as evergreens dry out quickly and can ignite easily when in contact with embers and flame.
• Include debris clean-up in Spring and Fall as part of your yard maintenance.
• Remove all low hanging branches within 2 metres off the ground.
• Remove smaller evergreen trees that can act as a ladder for fire to move into the treetops.
• Space trees 3 metres from branch tips to reduce the intensity and rate of spread of a wildfire.

• Education
• Vegetation management
• Legislation
• Development
• Interagency cooperation
• Emergency planning
• Cross training

FireSmart is not a new initiative. In fact, the FireSmart program has been in our region since the early 2000s.

Prior to the May 2016 Horse River Wildfire, FireSmart vegetation management treatments were applied to densely forested areas near the Birchwood Trails, Ermine Crescent, Sicamore Place and Burns Place.

Since 2016, nearly 400 hectares of forested land surrounding our communities has been made safer with FireSmart prescriptions.

Vegetation Management projects
There are projects happening in several communites during fall and winter 2023-24. Visit the webpage for details.

FireSmart Projects

FireSmart Interpretive Trail

Construction is underway on a new FireSmart Interpretive Trail project within the Birchwood Trail system. The FireSmart Interpretive Trail is being constructed near an existing set of trails along Cornwall Drive.