See event listings and more articles in this edition of Agri-News: March 31, 2025 issue
FireSmart is a program that gives you information and recommendations on how to reduce the risk of a wildfire damaging your home or other buildings. The FireSmart program is supported by many community fire departments as an education and prevention tool for fire prevention/damage reduction.
For example, the Vulcan County Protective Services department has summarized some key aspects of wildfire risk reduction into the following checklist. To minimize the risk to your home and property, follow these best practices:
- Keep your lawn mowed as short as possible at least 5 ft (1.5 m) from your home and around all other buildings.
- Reduce the amount of brush and trees close to your home, choose wildfire-resistant plants whenever possible, and space them out.
- Clear all combustible material, including wood piles, away from your home. Keep these materials no closer than 30 ft (10 m) from your home and other buildings.
- Clear and maintain your eavestrough and roof regularly. Remove debris like dry leaves and twigs to prevent sparks from catching.
- Trim the low branches of trees to a height of 6 ft (2 m) from the ground to help reduce the risk of your trees igniting.
- Apply the same standards of maintenance to all buildings on your property as you do your home.
- Plan and practice your home escape plan and include a plan for wildfire evacuations.
For more information on FireSmart and how it can help protect your home and property, go to FireSmart Alberta.
The Alberta Agriculture Service Boards has a guide posted on their news page which provides information on how to set up a safe zone for livestock should you need to evacuate due to a wildfire.
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