FireSmart™ is a program that helps residents increase neighbourhood resilience to wildfire and minimize its negative impacts.

To connect with a Local FireSmart Representative in your area, please email FireSmart@rdek.bc.ca

Demonstration Burn

This past April, the East Kootenay FireSmart™ Program held its second annual Ember Stomp – a Wildfire Preparedness Day event in Jaffray.

Looking for a way to really illuminate the differences between FireSmart and non-FireSmart home landscaping and building choices, Local FireSmart Representative and event organizer, Jessica Chalmers, borrowed an idea from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety Researchers for a demonstration burn.

The plan? To create two structurally similar “tiny houses”, one that was fire-resistant and one that was not.

The Fire-Resistant Structure featured two metal-sided walls and two fiber cement board walls. The corners on the building were made of raw spruce that was painted with fire-resistant primer and then finished with regular exterior paint. The building was finished with a clean aluminum eavestrough. Landscaping consisted of slate stone and a Lilac bush out front.

The Non-Fire-Resistant Structure was finished with new cedar siding, an aluminum eavestrough full of leaves, needles, and cones, and landscaped with bark mulch, needles, cones, and a few small Juniper bushes.

Hot embers were placed next to the buildings in their respective "mulch" materials, one being rock and the other wood. The wood mulch quickly ignited and spread the fire to the structure. The results were unmistakable.

The Fire-Resistant Structure held up remarkably well during the burn, with the only visible effect a blistering of the regular exterior paint. The fire-resistant primer suffered no effects.

Conversely, all that remained of the Non-Fire-Resistant Structure was a puddle of melted aluminum, which was once the eavestrough.

Thank you to all the generous donors who made this demonstration possible, including Canfor Elko, who built the structures for this project. Other donors include Westwing Construction, Cloverdale Paints, Rosen Lake Sand and Gravel, Kevin Smith, and Fernie Home Hardware Building Centre.

Additional thanks to Elk Valley & South Country Rural Fire and Rescue Service members, AC Engelhardt, Lt. Luc Tierens, Lt. Billy Woodford, FF Braeden Legge, and FF Lee Reynolds, who supported this demonstration with a small-scale Structural Protection set-up.

FireSmart is a valuable source when preparing for wildfire season. From simple tips for homeowners looking to protect their property to community programs led by local experts, everything you need to protect and prepare your home, neighbourhood, or municipality during wildfire season can be addressed by FireSmart principles.

The East Kootenay's focus on the FireSmart program continues to go strong. We follow the principles of FireSmart BC and FireSmart Canada, to encourage residents to adopt FireSmart practices and reduce the potential for wildfire impacts on their properties.

You can do your own Home Ignition Zone Assessment by clicking HERE.

FireSmart homes and neighbourhoods allow firefighters to concentrate on fighting the wildfire, which ultimately saves more homes and lives. Neighbourhoods in which residents take steps to reduce their vulnerability have a greater chance of surviving a wildfire without the intervention of the fire department.

Learn more about the Neighbourhood Recognition Program HERE.

FireSmart Canada Neighbourhood Feature - Rushmere:

We are actively seeking Neighbourhood Champions. What's a Neighbourhood Champion, you ask? Well, every good team needs a leader, and that is what a Neighbourhood Champion is: the person who rallies the neighbourhood, who helps organize and communicate about FireSmart activities, and who helps inspire their neighbourhood to join in on the action and reduce wildfire hazards.

The great thing is, a FireSmart Neighbourhood program doesn't have to be for a whole community. It can be for a defined neighbourhood within a community.

Ben Mitchell-Banks is a FireSmart Champion for CastleRock Estates in Invermere. Here, he explains the perimeter treatment that was conducted surrounding their neighbourhood.

To learn more about how to become a community champion, please email FireSmart@rdek.bc.ca.

RESOURCES TO GET YOU STARTED:

FireSmarting your property can be easy. And, every action you take to remove a potential hazard, increases your property's resilience to wildfire. The best part is, simple and easy steps can make a drastic difference. Here are some resources from FireSmart BC to help get you started:

• Homeowner's Guide to FireSmarting Your Property
• FireSmart BC Landscaping Guide
• Wildfire Preparedness Guide
• FireSmart Begins at Home Assessment
• FSC_Wildfire Evac Checklist

• BC Farm/Ranch Wildfire Plan Guide (Climate Action Initiative/Investment Agriculture Foundation BC)
• The Farm/Ranch Wildfire Plan Guide/Workbook (FireSmart BC)

The Rocky Mountain District’s Wildfire Risk Reduction targets Crown Land adjacent to communities and critical

infrastructure. The overall intent of the wildfire risk reduction effort is to lower fire intensities and the rate of spread

to allow for a successful suppression; not eliminate the probability and cause of ignition. By doing so, this helps to

enhance community resiliency, emergency response, and public safety. Below is a list of current projects.

The Emergency Wildfire Preparedness Checklist is a vital resource that informs residents of some key steps they can take to prepare their property during a wildfire emergency.

Click HERE for the checklist.