Fire Defence

Following a winter that was dryer than usual, a bolt of summer lightning or a forgotten campfire is more likely to spark a wildfire in Western Canada. And as more homes and businesses are being built near the dense woods in the region, the threat of destructive wildfires grows.

The Alberta government reports, on average, wildfires burn 2 million hectares of forest in Canada each year, and half of those blazes are caused by people. Most of these wildfires are extinguished before they burn more than 100 hectares, but many of them have forced residents to evacuate their homes and have caused millions of dollars in property damage.

In 2011, a wildfire decimated the community of Slave Lake, Alberta, destroying 374 homes while accumulating more than $700 million in insurable property damages. More than 700 people were displaced because of the fire, which burned for more than two days.

Fires raged in British Columbia’s Okanagan Mountain Park in 2003, causing $33.8 million of destruction. Spanning 25,912 hectares, the fires forced the evacuation of some 27,000 residents throughout the province.

Another wildfire spread through British Columbia in 2009 in Kelowna, driving 12,500 residents from their homes and putting thousands more on alert at the peak of the blaze. While there was little property damage, hundreds of homes were directly exposed to the fire.

Low humidity has already helped ignite uncontrollable blazes this summer. On July 13, thousands of homeowners vacated the Cariboo Regional District in British Columbia because of a wildfire that grew to more than 1,200 hectares.

While there are well-documented cases of wildfires throughout Western Canada, cities such as Vancouver and Whistler, which have seen significant housing growth in recent years, have so far been spared from the destruction of wildfire.

THE URBAN-WILDFIRE INTERFACE

People continue to build homes in these highly desirable areas, where the landscape is ideal for winter vacations for those who enjoy skiing and snowboarding. However, these destinations of choice also often provide the ideal conditions for potential wildfires.

With liveable land becoming scarcer, plot holders are forced to pin their properties right up against the luscious conifer forests of the area. Being so close to dense woods may put a home at risk if a fire breaks out during the warm summer season.

Building in remote areas also makes it more difficult for fire departments to reach the homes, making those properties much harder to protect.

Wildfire assessments and advice about how customers and homeowners can mitigate wildfire exposure is available, including from insurers, but many homeowners in the region use their properties as vacation rentals and some neglect to practice safe property management.

One of the vulnerable areas of a home that is most susceptible to wildfire is the roof. Many rooftops are finished with cedar shake or wood, highly flammable materials that serve as kindling when they come in contact with hot embers.

Ember storms, which can occur as far as two kilometres away from the initial fire, can quickly ignite these materials.

These flammable roof coverings should be replaced with fire-resistive materials such as concrete, clay or slate tiles. Other options include metal or fibre cement.

Agents and brokers can also speak to their homeowner customers about the potential hazards of the surrounding foliage. Overgrown vegetation – which includes long grass, untrimmed trees and neglected plants and bushes – can catch fire easily and quickly spread fire to a nearby home.

It is up to the homeowners to maintain their properties. They can help protect their homes by trimming flammable branches while keeping the plant life around the home as moist as possible during the hot summer months. It is also wise to remove highly combustible plants such as pine and juniper trees in the area.

PRIORITY ZONES

A customer’s property should be split into three specific zones.

• Priority Zone 1, the 10-metre space surrounding the home, must be free of any plant life and dry material that could serve as fuel to a fire.

• All vegetation in Priority Zone 2, the next 20 metres around the property, should be trimmed and pruned.

• Priority Zone 3, the remaining area, does not necessarily need to be cleared, but rather thinned to reduce the risk of fire spreading.

For properties located in wildfire-susceptible areas, here are some more tips to help mitigate wildfire exposures:

• When constructing a new home, use fire-retardant materials such as stucco, metal, brick and concrete. Avoid using heavy timber, vinyl and wood. All of the latter provide little protection against a blaze and can serve as more fuel for the fire.

• For windows, use metal frames, as this will withstand fire more so than vinyl clad. Vinyl clad can melt and sag if not reinforced with metal, which can create gaps to the inside. Also, utilize metal screens that will not ignite due to falling embers.

• If constructing a deck of less than three metres, or one connected to the home, it should be built with ignition-resistant materials. It is also wise to have the area below the deck enclosed, eliminating the chance for flammable debris to accumulate. If not enclosed, make sure to thoroughly clear brush out from underneath.

• Use a metal screen to prevent embers from escaping through the top of the chimney and spreading embers onto the roof.

• Install flame-resistive vents to help prevent burning embers from entering the home. Weather stripping around and under the garage door should also be implemented to help restrict embers.

• Unconnected structures – such as sheds, fences, patio furniture, trash cans and other property items – are usually built using flammable material. These items should be kept as far away from the house as possible.

• If possible, make sure the property has access to an on-site emergency water supply, which includes a pond, tank, creek or lake. An emergency vehicle should also be in close proximity.

Expansion into this area is only inevitable as the demand for land in these parts of the country continues on an upward trajectory. But with more property owners erecting homes in or near wooded areas, agents and brokers can provide advice to help customers protect their homes.

In the end, though, it is up to the home-owner to implement wildfire-preventive measures to their property.