Helping homeowners protect the area around their home from wildfires

Local fire officials are helping homeowners learn more about protecting the area around their home from wildfire.

The FireSmart program involves city firefighter Jim Daly (pictured) going door-to-door offering to do a free risk assessment with homeowners.

He says it has been well-received.

“It’s kind of a wake up call for them, you don’t think of it. They’ll walk around with me and I’ll just point things out and they don’t have to do it, but they say ‘oh, yeah maybe I shouldn’t use that in my garden or maybe next time I do my cord of wood, I’ll move it to a different spot in the yard”, he says.

Konor Poulin is Initial Attack Incident Commander with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and says the program offers up simple solutions to protecting your home.

“Manicuring their lawn, removing woody debris as well as pine litter. For those secondary zones you could prune trees up to the two meter level as well as removing any dead standing timber,” he says.

There’s no obligation to take part in the risk assessment.

Those that do will receive $5 off of their 2019 open burning permit.