In 2021, Canada experienced a record-setting heat wave and an early start to the wildfire season. B.C., in particular, battled over 1,600 wildfires last season – causing devastation to people’s homes, communities and local wildlife in the affected areas.
With the rise in global temperatures comes the frequency and severity of natural catastrophes such as wildfires. These fires can impact wildlands as well as urban interfaces, and will often strike where these two ecosystems meet.
This has been demonstrated with large-scale impacts, such as the Lytton, B.C. fire of 2021 that burned the entire village to the ground leaving residents displaced and still recovering today. And the Horse River fire in Fort McMurray, Alberta destroyed infrastructure and forced the evacuation of almost 80,000 people from their homes in 2016.
This year, “Canada is seeing a subdued start to the wildfire season thanks to a cooler and wetter spring than usual, but (we) should be prepared for an increase in fire activity heading into the summer,” experts say.
When faced with such unstoppable destruction, how can Canadians prepare in advance to keep themselves and their property safe?
Canada is home to about nine percent of the world’s forests. And while fire plays an essential role in forest renewal, more of those fires are burning closer to people’s homes and communities. Since 1990, wildfires across Canada have consumed an average of 2.5 million hectares a year, according to NRC. And fire suppression costs add up, ranging from $500 million to $1 billion a year.
It's more important than ever to focus on fire prevention to personal property, especially in high-risk areas. And the best protection against loss, damage or injury is prevention and mitigation, according to the Institute of Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR).
“The knowledge exists to make homes less vulnerable to wildfire. Firewise homes have a survivable landscape and use appropriate building materials. Investments of a few hundred dollars can significantly reduce the risk [of] wildfire damage,” according to an ICLR report on trends in wildfire events in North America.
So how do you know if you live in a high-risk area?
If your home or community is surrounded by brush, grassland or forest, then you’re at higher risk for wildfires, which typically occur from May to September. The NRC’s Canadian Wildland Fire Information System monitors fire danger across Canada 24/7, and includes an interactive fire map with up-to-date reports.
Various organizations are working alongside insurers to provide resources— to both builders and homeowners — with the aim of constructing fire-resistant homes.
For example, the National Research Council of Canada has published a National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires – the first of its kind for Canada. The Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) refers to an area where houses and human developments meet with vegetation. When wildfires spread to these areas, the consequences can be extreme. The guide is designed to mitigate losses by improving the resilience of infrastructure and communities.
The ICLR has also championed the adoption of WUI (Wildland Urban Interface) provisions in national building codes, working closely with partners like the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and FireSmart Canada (which offers the FireSmart Begins at Home app for self-conducted home assessments).
One of the biggest issues for homeowners is sparks and embers. Burning debris can be thrown up to two kilometres ahead of a wildfire, according to FireSmart, which can ignite materials on your home. Adding fuel to the fire, radiant heat from a wildfire can melt vinyl siding and even break windows, while direct flames will ignite any flammable objects in their path.
If you’re building new (or reconstructing a home due to fire loss), be sure to ask your contractor about specific construction materials and practices that can mitigate damage and loss from wildfires. Fire-resistant construction materials include fibre-cement siding in place of vinyl or wood shake siding, asphalt shingles in place of wood shake roofs, and concrete patios in place of wood decks.
These days, construction materials are highly sophisticated. Steel, for example, can be made to look like wood grain, giving it the appearance of wood with the fire-resistance of steel. Using innovative design materials, homeowners don’t necessarily have to give up aesthetics for safety.
You should also create a non-combustible zone up to 1.5 metres around your home. This means clearing that area of any materials that could easily ignite from a wildfire. FireSmart recommends reducing shrubs and evergreen trees within 10 metres of any buildings on your property, thinning and pruning trees within 10 to 30 metres of your home and ensuring powerlines are clear of tree limbs.
Renovations, upgrades and regular maintenance can make an existing home less vulnerable to wildfires. This may require a major renovation, like replacing your roof. At the same time, some best practices are simple and cost-effective, such as regularly cleaning out your gutters.
While there are many ways to limit the damage of wildfires, the average homeowner can tackle some of these measures on their own. Here’s a checklist of things you can do right now to further protect your home.
Most home insurance policies (as well as auto, condo, tenant, farm and commercial) cover damage caused by wildfire. Talk to us about what types of fire damage are covered under your policy, since some specific types of damage can be excluded or have specified limits. While it’s important to mitigate risk, it’s also important to make sure you’ve got the right coverage if the worst-case scenario does occur.
With thanks to Wawanesa Insurance for their editorial contribution.