4 Ways You Can Minimize Wild Fire Risk for Your Family

When it comes to wildfire, you have the ability to protect your home, cottage, or resort. Although it seems like not much can be done to protect your property from wildfire, there are easy steps you can take to reduce your vulnerability.

Wildfires can start nearly anywhere, they move quickly, and there may not be time to protect your property before must evacuate. Wildland firefighting crews may be able to help protect your home or resort, but their resources and time are limited and not all homes and structures are prioritized. Take control of the protection of your home, cottage, or resort and ensure that you have one to come back to.

Know your risk

Have a FireSmart hazard assessment done of your property. This will identify where your specific ignition vulnerabilities are. An assessment will identify what puts your property at risk, and steps you can take to lower that risk.

Prepare

Most buildings that burn down in wildfires are actually ignited by embers rather than flames. Identifying the specific vulnerabilities within 10 meters of buildings, and adapting them to be more FireSmart, will greatly reduce the ignition potential of your structure.

Wildfire mitigation work is generally low cost and can often be done without compromising the view or aesthetic of your property. This work can involve landscaping, selecting trees and shrubs less vulnerable to ignition, and removing hazardous vegetation.

Protect

Wildfire protection sprinklers have been shown to give structures a 90% chance of surviving a wildfire. Sprinkler systems should be designed to cover a structure, and the 10 meter area around it, with a constant shower of water before, during, and after a wildfire passes. Wildfires usually result in power outages, so it is necessary to have a gas – powered water pumping unit, capable of supplying the sprinkler system. In your absence, wildland fire crews can deploy your sprinkler system, giving your structures a higher chance of being prioritized and protected.

Having a pumping unit with firefighting capabilities has the additional benefit of allowing a property owner to control and contain fires that may start on their property, which reduces the risk of wildfire originating and spreading from your property.

Save

The Standard Insurance Brokers offers a premium rebate to resorts that implement wildfire protection measures, such as the installation of a wildfire protection sprinkler system with pumping unit and firefighting capabilities. Contact your local broker to find out more.

If you are interested in learning more about protecting your property from wildfire, WildFire AP is a wildfire adaptation and protection firm that specializes in wildfire risk assessments, wildfire adaptation and protection planning, and the design and installation of wildfire protection sprinkler systems. WildFire AP operates out of Winnipeg and currently services Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.