Around the Home

Hardening the home itself, from the roof and vents to decks and the cleared zones that ring the building.

The first 1.5 metres around your house matters most

Anything that catches fire in the first 1.5 metres around your house is already touching it — which is why FireSmart wants firewood, propane tanks and even doormats moved at least 10 metres back.

In the 1.5 to 10 metre zone, break up fuel and remove debris

A firewood pile stacked against the house is essentially a pre-built campfire waiting for an ember — moving it just 10 metres away dramatically lowers the chance of structure ignition.

From 10 to 30 metres, thin the forest and create spacing

Wildfire does not stop at a property line — and a single neighbour’s untended evergreen stand can carry flame across 30 metres of well-FireSmarted yard in minutes.

Clean gutters and roof valleys before fire season

A gutter full of dry conifer needles is in direct contact with your roof — five minutes with a leaf blower removes the single biggest ember trap on most houses.

A Class A rated roof is the single biggest home upgrade

Wood shake roofs remain one of the highest-risk building materials in a wildfire — the roof is the largest exposed surface on a home, and a single ember in a cracked shingle can take it down.

Cover vents with fine metal mesh to keep embers out

Embers can be sucked through soffit and gable vents and ignite an attic from inside the house — and standard plastic insect screen melts in the heat, defeating the whole point.

Treat the underside of your deck like part of the house

The underside of a wooden deck is one of the most reliable ember catchers on a house — open lattice skirting acts like a wind tunnel for burning debris.

Make your address visible and your driveway crew-friendly

A typical fire engine needs about four metres of clear driveway width and a turning area to defend your home — narrow lanes and locked gates can mean crews skip the property entirely.

These articles are the same wildfire safety library that lives inside our free app. Browse every category in the safety library, or open the live map to see current fires and alerts across Western Canada and 18 western US states.