🔥 Prevent Ignitions

About 20 minutes.

The checklist

• Keep your 30 m Home Ignition Zone maintained year-round — mow, water, and clear dead fuels.

  FireSmart treats the 30 m zone around a home as an ongoing commitment, not a one-time assessment. Dry grass, leaf litter, and dead shrubs are the easiest targets for embers.

  Source: FireSmart BC

• Clean gutters, roof valleys, and under decks at the start of every fire season.

  Organic debris is the #1 ember catcher. Do a pre-season pass in April or May and repeat after major wind events.

  Source: FireSmart Canada

• Remove dead vegetation — dry grass, fallen needles, dead shrubs — before the season dries out.

  Dead fuel dries faster than live plants and is what carries fire between buildings.

  Source: FireSmart BC

• Know the current campfire category and fire ban status before lighting any fire.

  Every jurisdiction runs its own system. BC uses Category 1 (campfires), 2, and 3 restrictions; Alberta issues fire advisories, restrictions, and bans; US states and federal land post Stage 1 / Stage 2 fire restrictions (check InciWeb or your state forestry / land-management agency). Check before you strike a match — fines are steep everywhere ($1,150+ in BC) and you can be billed for full firefighting costs if your fire escapes.

  Source: BC Wildfire Service — Fire bans & restrictions

• Never leave a campfire unattended. Drown, stir, drown again — and feel for heat.

  A 'dead-looking' campfire can hold enough heat to re-ignite in wind 12 hours later. If it's still warm to the back of your hand, it's not out.

  Source: BC Wildfire Service — Fire bans & restrictions

• Get a burn permit — and check the day-of burn status — before burning brush or debris.

  Open burning is regulated almost everywhere. Burn permits are required for most open burning in Alberta's Forest Protection Area; BC requires Category 2 & 3 registration; most US states and counties require a permit plus a same-day check that it's a permitted burn day (your state forestry agency or local air-quality / fire district publishes this). They're typically free and mandatory in season.

  Source: Alberta Wildfire

• Clean grass, needles, and debris off ATV / dirt bike / snowmobile exhausts before and after every ride.

  Off-highway vehicle exhausts exceed 200°C — hot enough to ignite dry vegetation that packs into the engine bay.

  Source: Alberta — Off-highway vehicle safety

• Check that your spark arrestor and muffler are working on any off-road machine.

  A failed spark arrestor is one of the most common ignition sources on backcountry land — and on most US public land a working spark arrestor is legally required. Carry a small shovel, water, and an extinguisher on every ride.

  Source: Alberta — Off-highway vehicle safety

• Check that trailer safety chains are not dragging on pavement.

  A chain dragging on asphalt throws a fan of sparks straight into the ditch grass. Trailer-chain fires have started multiple large wildfires across the West.

  Source: Alberta Wildfire

• Do not park a vehicle with a hot exhaust or catalytic converter over dry grass.

  A catalytic converter runs over 400°C. Dry grass underneath a parked truck can smoulder for hours before flaming up. Park on gravel, pavement, or bare soil.

  Source: Alberta Wildfire

• Avoid using chainsaws, brush cutters, grinders, or welders on dry, windy afternoons.

  Most equipment-caused fires start between noon and early evening when humidity drops. Shift this work to cool mornings or cancel it on extreme-risk days.

  Source: FireSmart Canada

• Report any smoke or flame you see — early. BC: 1-800-663-5555 or *5555. Alberta: 310-FIRE (3473). US: call 911.

  A fire reported at 5 hectares (about 12 acres) is a very different problem than one reported at 500. In the US, 911 is the fastest route to the agency with jurisdiction. You never annoy dispatch by calling — they track every report and would rather hear twice.

  Source: Alberta Wildfire

Sources

This checklist mirrors public guidance from the agencies below. Always confirm current conditions with the agency that issued them before you act.

• FireSmart BC
• FireSmart Canada
• Firewise USA / NFPA
• BC Wildfire Service — Fire bans & restrictions
• US fire restrictions — InciWeb / NIFC
• Alberta Wildfire
• Alberta — Off-highway vehicle safety

Last reviewed April 17, 2026.