Alberta’s FireSmart Program 2017

Gavin Hojka Wildfire Management Branch

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry

Contents • Wildfires in Alberta • Introduction to FireSmart in Alberta • The Scales of FireSmart • Introduction to the Seven Disciplines of FireSmart

– Emergency Planning – Cross Training – Education – Legislation – Inter-agency Cooperation – Development – Vegetation Management

• Funding Programs • FireSmart Canada – Partners in Protection Association • Contacts

Wildfires – Current Trends • The last decade has been one of the warmest on

record throughout North America. • We are building more homes in and adjacent to

wildlands. • We have more mature forests on the landscape. • The impacts of mountain pine beetle and other

insects and disease—increase susceptibility of forests to wildfire.

• Increased population—more people in the wildlands for recreation and work

Wildfires – Current Trends • Wildfire management agencies throughout North

America are continually challenged by the complexity and number of wildfires on the landscape. – Increased suppression costs – Fire loads exceeding suppression capability – More intense fires – More severe fires – Increased threats to values-at-risk (life, communities,

watersheds/sensitive soils, infrastructure)

• Equals the need for mitigation and preparedness at all levels.

Recent Wildfire Events • 1998 – Virginia Hills Fire and numerous other large fires • 2001 – Chisholm Fire in Alberta. • 2002 – House River Fire in Alberta. • 2003 – Kelowna Fire in BC and Lost Creek Fire in Alberta. • 2008 – Newbrook Fire (Outside of Edmonton) • 2009 – Strathcona County Wildfire • 2010 – Opal Fire (Near Thorhild) • 2011 – Flat Top (Slave Lake) Fires and a number of others

threatening communities • 2013 – Wildfire Evacuations of Lodgepole and Nordegg • 2015 – High Level Area Wildfires • 2016 – Horse River (Fort McMurray) Wildfire

The Changing Landscape

Administrative Boundaries • Alberta is split into the Forest

Protection Area (FPA) and Non-FPA. The Wildfire Management Branch (WMB) is responsible for wildfires in the FPA. Local municipalities are the lead outside of the FPA.

• Some FireSmart funding programs are restricted to the FPA and others are province wide (discussed later).

• In emergency situations, the WMB assists with wildfires outside of the FPA.

Introduction to FireSmart “FireSmart helps protect homes and communities from the threat of wildfire while balancing the benefits of wildfire on the landscape.” • Wildfire poses a threat to communities in Alberta, especially those

communities which are located within the Forest Protection Area (FPA);

• Wildland Urban Interface/Intermix (WUI) is where structures meet and mingle with forest fuels, and where the greatest risk occurs;

• FireSmart initiatives and projects are performed on three different scales: Landscape, Community and WUI;

• Communities are encouraged by Agriculture and Forestry to adopt and promote their own FireSmart programs built on strong partnerships;

• There are many ways to increase a communities resilience to wildfire outside of removing dangerous vegetation.

The Scales of FireSmart The practice of FireSmart can be carried out on many different scales. Generally, projects and initiatives fall into one of three scales: Landscape FireSmart (generally occurs outside of a municipalities jurisdiction) • Generally revolves around large scale removal of hazardous fuels • These projects require extensive planning, consultation, education

and strong partnerships • Industry partnerships and fire management planning Community FireSmart (occurs within a municipalities jurisdiction, 10 km radius around town) • All seven disciplines of FireSmart are viable and important at this

scale • Vegetation management is only one piece of a successful FireSmart

program. Community level FireSmart must consider all of the seven FireSmart Disciplines.

The Scales of FireSmart The practice of FireSmart can be carried out on many different scales. Generally, projects and initiatives fall into one of three scales: WUI FireSmart (occurs on private property and within town) • Vegetation management in the form of pruning, removal of dead

and down and mowing • Education around structural considerations such as roofing and

siding material • Education around maintenance of eaves and cleanliness of roofs • Homeowners should be encouraged to complete work to make

their properties more resilient.

The Scales of FireSmart

Alberta FireSmart Planning • Hazard and risk based approach

– level of planning necessary is determined by this assessment. Focus is the WUI and Community Zones.

• Wildfire Preparedness Guide – Operational plan which assists emergency personnel to protect values during a wildfire.

• Wildfire Mitigation Strategy – Developed for communities with a significant hazard and risk. Addresses the seven disciplines of FireSmart.

Introduction to the Seven Disciplines of FireSmart In general, all FireSmart initiatives and projects will fall into one of the seven FireSmart Disciplines: • Vegetation Management – removal, reduction and conversion of hazardous

fuels • Education – raising awareness of risks and opportunities for prevention and

mitigation • Emergency Planning – ensures human life is preserved as priority on in

wildfire emergencies • Cross Training – required for seamless teamwork during a wildfire

emergency • Legislation – allows for requirement of mechanisms which promote wildfire

resiliency • Inter-agency Cooperation – necessary for managing all stages of a wildfire

emergency • Development – considerations for promoting the survival of homes and

infrastructure

Emergency Planning FireSmart Emergency Planning generally takes the form a Wildfire Preparedness Guide (WPG). Agriculture and Forestry encourages communities within the FPA to have at minimum a WPG in case of a wildfire emergency • This document is used by Emergency Responders when a wildfire threatens a community • The WPG supports a unified command structure, recognizing that responsibilities during wildfire

emergency are shared by different agencies • It is essential that all stakeholders are engaged during the creation of a communities WPG, as

wildfire emergencies require response from multiple agencies • The WPG should compliment any existing emergency planning, standard operating procedures and

policies • This document should be reviewed and updated annually prior to fire season. All agencies

identified in the plan should have a copy readily available. General Plan Contents • Planning area description (fuels, fire behavior potentials, existing containment lines, etc.) • Values at Risk identification (critical infrastructure, dangerous good, etc.) • Fire Operations (roles, communication details, structure protection strategies, water supply etc.) • Auto order lists • Contact lists • Operations Maps Additionally – Municipal Emergency Plans are critical. Both the Municipal Government Act and the Emergency Management Act require municipalities to develop and maintain safe and viable communities that can direct and control emergency response.

Cross Training Cross training refers to agencies working together to garner a shared understanding of responsibilities, strengths and limitations and work on communications. Examples of Cross training: • Table top exercises • Real world exercises such as mock disasters • Incident Command training, Wildland Urban Interface training • Site visits and tours, equipment demonstrations

Examples of Agencies who should be involved: • Wildfire Management • Local Fire Department • Municipal Emergency Services • RCMP • Local Industry (utility, oil and gas, etc.) • Area specific stakeholders who may become involved in wildfire response

Education Education is the cornerstone of a successful FireSmart program. Without proper education around the risks associated with wildfire and ways to mitigate this risk, FireSmart will fail to achieve the support it needs to be effective. Education must be tailored to the audience. Examples of possible audiences include: • Elected officials and municipal staff • Community members • Homeowners • School age children • Specific local interest groups (OHV operators, farmers, etc.) • Industry

There are many FireSmart education resources available to municipal government, homeowners and other groups. Contact your local Forestry office for details.

Legislation FireSmart specific legislation is necessary to implement items and mechanisms that are critical to the prevention of wildfire or the loss of structures due to wildfire. There are a few different avenues for approaching FireSmart from this direction: • Municipal Bylaw – setting or amending bylaws to reflect FireSmart principles; • Architectural Guidelines – already used to control appearance of homes in some

developments. Can be used to limit flammable exteriors, firewood storage and the types of vegetation used by homeowners;

• Subdivision, Engineering and Development Standards – building guidelines with

can be integrated into new developments or upgrades to existing developments;

• Building Code and Fire Code Regulations – minimum construction standards, training and equipment standards.

Interagency Cooperation Strong partnerships are essential to successful FireSmart. Communities should consider creating a FireSmart Committee with representation from stakeholders to coordinate FireSmart initiatives. FireSmart Committees can coordinate: • Review and updating of planning documents • Mock disasters and emergency exercises • Regular updates to community and stakeholders regarding current FireSmart

projects and initiatives • Educations campaigns

FireSmart committees provide an opportunity for stakeholders to come together to drive a communities FireSmart program in a coordinated fashion. Strong partnerships and input from stakeholders is essential for the successful implementation of a communities FireSmart program.

Development In general, development can be broken down into two categories: structural and infrastructure opportunities. Homeowners have a great deal of control over structural FireSmart while the municipality will generally drive the implementation of infrastructure FireSmart initiatives. Examples of Structural FireSmart: • Roofing: rated shingles, asphalt, metal, etc. • Siding: stucco, brick, concrete, etc. • Decks and porches: treated non flammable materials • Eaves and vents: screened with fine mesh • Yard design: use of non flammable vegetation, vegetation placement • Yard maintenance: regular mowing, pruning, removal of dead vegetation

Examples of Infrastructure FireSmart: • Home and subdivision access (for emergency vehicles) • Multiple routes of egress (for evacuation) • Access to water supply • Open spaces such as parking lots and golf courses (for defense or refuge)

Vegetation Management Vegetation management refers to the removal, reduction and conversion of hazardous fuels around a community, in a subdivision or on private property. Higher hazard fuels are targeted, generally conifer trees like spruce. The scale of vegetation management can vary greatly: • Homeowner – pruning trees and removal of hazardous vegetation on private

property • Community – pruning trees, thinning conifers in municipal reserve and parkland

areas • Landscape – occurs outside of community jurisdiction and will likely cover many

hectares, removing hazardous fuels to create firebreak and defensible space.

Vegetation management is the most costly of all FireSmart disciplines, and the most visible. Extensive planning and consultation should be carried out prior to beginning these projects on a community and landscape scale.

Vegetation Management

• Consists of fuel removal, fuel reduction and/or species conversion.

• Fuel removal – removal of all flammable species to create fire barriers and containment lines

• Fuel reduction – reduce flammable species to reduce fire behaviour.

• Species conversion – removal of flammable species and replacing them with less flammable species.

FireSmart Funding Programs • At the present time, there are three main programs that

fund FireSmart activities in the Province. – The Forest Resource Improvement of Association of Alberta

(FRIAA) FireSmart Program. This program in partnership with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry provides province-wide funding for the seven disciplines of FireSmart.

– The Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Wildfire Prevention Services Agreement. This program in partnership with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry provides funding for the seven disciplines of FireSmart and general wildfire prevention activities on Indigenous Peoples Reserves located in the Forest Protection Area. Contact your local Forest Area Office for details.

– FireSmart Canada – Provides funding for Wildfire Community Preparedness Days throughout the province.

FireSmart Canada • FireSmart Canada is multidisciplinary non-profit association,

made up of members representing national, provincial and municipal associations, government departments responsible for emergency services, forest and parks management, land use planning and private business and industry.

• The mandate of FireSmart Canada is to facilitate interagency cooperation in the promotion of awareness and education aimed at reducing risk of loss of life and property from fire in the wildland/urban interface.

• FireSmart Canada offers a number of programs aimed at reducing community and homeowner wildfire risk. These programs include a community recognition program, local FireSmart representative workshops, community champion workshops and wildfire community preparedness days.

FireSmart Canada • Information regarding the specific FireSmart Canada programs

may be found on their website: www.firesmartcanada.ca • The Wildfire Community Preparedness Day – provides funding

for community wildfire prevention events across Canada. Information is on the FireSmart Canada website.

• Any questions regarding FireSmart Canada can be directed to the President, Laura Stewart at 780-644-8780 / 587-985-2095 or laura.a.stewart@gov.ab.ca

Contacts Regarding the FRIAA FireSmart Program, FRIAA can be contacted at: 780-429-5873 or admin@friaa.ab.ca or, Colin Paranich at colin.paranich@friaa.ab.ca Alberta Forest Area Wildfire Prevention Officers Contacts: • Calgary Forest Area: Kevin Topolnicki at 403-297-3132 or

Kevin.Topolnicki@gov.ab.ca • Edson Forest Area: Marc Freedman 780-723-8373 or

Marc.Freedman@gov.ab.ca • Fort McMurray Forest Area: Paul St. John at 780-743-7209 or

Paul.StJohn@gov.ab.ca • Grande Prairie Forest Area: Mike Kingsbury at 780-538-6210 or

Mike.Kingsbury@gov.ab.ca • High Level Forest Area: Michelle Shesterniak at 780-926-5432 or

Michelle.Shesterniak@gov.ab.ca • Lac La Biche Forest Area: Mike Tucker at 780-623-5314 or

Mike.Tucker@gov.ab.ca

Contacts

• Peace River Forest Area: Todd Lynch at 780-624-6334 or Todd.Lynch@gov.ab.ca

• Rocky Mountain House Forest Area: Kristofer Heemeryck at 403-845-8205 or Kristofer.Heemeryck@gov.ab.ca

• Slave Lake Forest Area: Jason Pankratow at 780-849-7455 or Jason.Pankratow@gov.ab.ca

• Whitecourt Forest Area: Mike Milner at 780-778-7106 or Mike.Milner@gov.ab.ca