FireSmart

The Industrial Wildfire Control Plan (IWCP) is a mandatory requirement under the Forest and Prairie Protection Act. IWCPs are required from all companies operating within one kilometre of public land from March 1 to November 30. If activities are restricted to outside of this period, then no submission is required.

The intent is to provide the Government of Alberta with the location of full time employees in order to increase their safety in the event of a wildfire.

All companies submitting an IWCP are required to do so through the Alberta Wildfire System (AWS).

Log in to IWCP

IWCP User Manual

To log in to IWCP, you will need a Government of Alberta account and password.

• To get a Government of Alberta account, see User ID and Client IDs for access to Industry Online Services at Alberta Environment and Parks land forms.

Full Time Habitation Guideline

IWCP submissions are only required for locations/facilities that will be occupied full time. Full time habitation means employees are present at the facility, on average, for 4 or more hours each day. However, locations will be accepted if time spent at each facility is less than the guideline suggests.

Temporary operating locations/facilities active during wildfire season (for example, seismic, drilling) are also required to submit an IWCP.

Your company is not required to submit an IWCP if operations do not meet this minimum.

Maintaining and updating IWCPs

• Companies may maintain as many plans as they like (for example, a company may maintain one plan provincially or create plans for separate working areas).
• Each IWCP must be updated prior to the end of February and updated when significant changes occur to the plan during the fire season.
• If there are deficiencies found, the company planner will be contacted by Government of Alberta staff to correct the deficiencies.

If your plan is not updated during the current fire year, the plan will become inactive and the information will not be made available to emergency responders. The company planner or administrator must update/activate the plan prior to fire season to ensure their data is available for emergency responders.

The information submitted remains confidential and will be used solely by the Government of Alberta to assist in protecting your personnel and infrastructure from wildfires.

Contact IWCP Support

IWCP support is available Monday to Friday from 8:15 am to 4:30 pm.

Email: aws.service@gov.ab.ca

The purpose of the Power Line Hazard Assessment Plan (PHAP) is to reduce wildfires caused by power line contacts or equipment failures and the threat of infrastructure damage from an encroaching wildfire.

The PHAP is applicable to all power lines within the province of Alberta and is a requirement as part of the pre-application requirements for power line approvals that fall within the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. This also applies to Vegetation Control Easements (VCE), but not to underground lines.

The PHAP also performs as a risk-based tool used by industry to inform hazard tree maintenance, right-of-way widening and tree freeing programs, as well as wildfire best management practices.

Power line approvals that fall within identified FireSmart Community Zones must be referred to the Government of Alberta prior to application to ensure alignment with community FireSmart planning.

Log in to PHAP

PHAP User Manual

To login to PHAP you will need:

• an Alberta.ca Account for Organizations
  • How to create an Alberta.ca Account for Organizations

The Wildfire Hazard Identification Tool (WHIT) is intended to help employers in Alberta determine if a wildland fire hazard exists near a current or planned worksite that could compromise the health and safety of employees working there if a wildland fire were to affect the area.

Log in to WHIT

WHIT User Manual

Contact WHIT Support

WHIT Support is available Monday to Friday from 8:15 am to 4:40 pm.

Email: aws.service@gov.ab.ca

There are several ways of obtaining critical wildfire information to support your emergency management decisions. See Wildfire Data to access the various data available.

Alberta Electrical Utility Wildfire Risk Best Management Practices

FireSmart Guidebook for Oil and Gas Industry

Wildfire Prevention – CAPP Best Management Practices

The FireSmart Field Guide for the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry

Emergency Preparedness Guide for Hazards Associated with Wildfires

FireSmart Canada (Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre)

Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers