Actions you can take

The Town of Canmore is taking a proactive approach to help protect the town against wildfire. FireSmart thinning has taken place in numerous locations around Canmore in recent years. In addition, the Town, in partnership with the MD of Bighorn, Kananaskis Improvement District, and Alberta Forestry and Parks is engaged in the construction of the Bow Valley Community Fireguard. Construction will occur in phases over the next three to five years. 

Critical as theTown's efforts are, the residents of the Peaks, and Canmore more broadly, can also play an important role in reducing  the impact of wildland fires before they occur. In particular…

• Get busy online

You can check out the stack of great resources and guidance for protecting homes that’s available online at FireSmart Canada, FireSmart Alberta and the Town. You could even do the online FireSmart 101 training which provides a helpful overview of FireSmart principles and explains key concepts like the “wildland-urban interface” (where we live) and the “home ignition zone”.

• Request a free home assessment from Canmore Fire-Rescue

Re-starting in the Spring, you can book a free FireSmart home assessment with Canmore Fire-Rescue. A team member will meet with you for around an hour to conduct the assessment and provide you with personalized recommendations to make your property more wildfire resistant.

• Start protecting your home...

The different guidance, training and assessments above will point you towards some straightforward steps that can help protect your home. These include:

• Remove debris from your gutters.

• Screen your gutters with metal mesh to reduce the amount of debris that can accumulate.

• Sheath in the base of the decks, balconies, and houses with fire-resistant material.

• Store combustible lawn furniture or deck storage boxes away from your home.

• Avoid the following plants within 10 metres of your home: cedar, juniper, pine, tall grass, spruce.

• Remove dry leaves, twigs and branches from your yard.

• Don’t use bark or pine needle mulches within 10 metres of your home – they’re highly combustible. Gravel mulch and decorative crushed rock mulch significantly reduce the risk of wildfire.

• Move your firewood pile away from the side of your home.

• Remove tree branches within 2 metres of the ground - this will help stop surface fires from moving into the treetops.

• You might also want to consider, especially if you’re planning renovations anytime soon, replacing roof, siding and deck materials with more fire-resistant versions. Again, lots of helpful guidance on this online, such as at FireSmart Alberta. 

• Help implement the Wildfire Mitigation Plan for your neighbourhood

You can also support implementation of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan for your neighbourhood. As explained here, we’ve divided Peaks into six neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood will have a Wildfire Mitigation Plan, based on a Wildfire Hazard Assessment carried out by the Town and Canmore Fire-Rescue. Each neighbourhood also has a Neighbourhood Champion who is the focal point for implementing your neighbourhood’s Mitigation Plan, with the support of FireSmartPeaks. If you want to help implement the plan for your neighbourhood, please email us at: firesmartpeaks@gmail.com

• Support Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (Saturday 3 May)

Mark Saturday 3 May in your calendar for Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. FireSmartPeaks will organise a range of activities that day aimed at educating Peaks’ residents about FireSmart and wildland fire resilience.

• Support the Peaks' Neighbourhood Clean Up (Saturday 7 June)

On Saturday, 7 June, FireSmartPeaks will host a neighbourhood clean up event that will focus on clearing and reducing fuel around homes in the Peaks and in common areas, including assisting home owners and residents to: 

• check and clean combustible debris from roofs and gutters; 

• move combustible firewood piles and other materials (including from under decks) to a distance greater than 10m from the home or store them in a FireSmart-mitigated building; and

• prune trees as necessary and remove accumulations of dead material (needles, leaves, downed branches, trees)

We will launch a “call for clearance” prior to 7 June to establish a list of homeowners and residents who require support on the day with clearing gutters, removing deadfall etc.