FireSmart is living with and managing for wildfire.

Preparing for the threat of wildfire is a shared responsibility. Community members, community leaders, forest companies, industry and government we all have responsibility to lessen the effects of wildfire. FireSmart uses preventative measures to reduce wildfire threat to Albertans and their communities while balancing the benefits of wildfire on the landscape.

FireSmart...

• Can reduce the likelihood of large uncontrollable wildfires in Alberta’s forests.
• Recognizes the benefit of introducing the controlled application of fire to sensitive and protected areas of the forest (prescribed fire).
• Is built on partnerships between government, industry and homeowners. Wildfires burn regardless of administrative boundaries.

More so than ever before, Canadians are feeling the direct and indirect impacts of wildfire. There is a growing need for FireSmart education.

FireSmart Canada has developed a FREE one-hour course for those who are getting started with FireSmart and want to learn more.

FireSmart 101

MD of Bighorn Wildfire Mitigation Strategy

FireSmart Resources

FireSmart Guidebook for Community Protection - Feb 2013 (100 pages, 13 MB) 
FireSmart Guidebook for Oil and Gas Industry - 2008 (40 pages, 4 MB) 
FireSmart Home Development Guide
FireSmart Homeowner’s Assessment – FireSmart Begins at Home 
FireSmart Homeowner’s Manual – FireSmart Begins at Home 
FireSmart Home Ignition Zone
FireSmart Last-Minute Wildfire Checklist
FireSmart Combustible Siding Fact Sheet

Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA)

Forests cover over 50 per cent of Alberta’s landscape, and communities across the province are nested within or near the forest. This creates a wildland/urban interface – an area where buildings and forested regions meet. Though beautiful, these communities are at increased risk of wildfire. The FRIAA FireSmart program helps municipalities and residents manage and reduce the threat of wildfire. The program supports communities in carrying out activities aimed at reducing the threat of wildfire. 

FRIAA provides FireSmart program funding for projects that aim to reduce the risk of and mitigate potential damage caused by wildfires, through one of the seven FireSmart disciplines:

• Planning (e.g. FireSmart community plan: wildfire preparedness guides and wildfire mitigation strategies; resource-sharing and mutual-aid fire control agreements);
• Vegetation/Fuel management (e.g. fuel breaks, thinning and pruning, vegetation removal/reduction and conversion to more fire-resistant species);
• Public education (e.g. increased awareness regarding wildfire threat and application of FireSmart principles);
• Inter-agency cooperation and cross-training;
• Legislation and planning (e.g. review provincial and municipal legislation, land-use bylaws and plans);
• Development (e.g. new subdivision development re: roadway access; water supply and utilities placement); and
• Emergency planning (e.g. develop or update procedures and response plans, and upgrading existing developments to FireSmart standards).

The program is sponsored by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and aims to:

• Provide financial assistance to those communities that wish to reduce the threat of wildfire
• Support local involvement and ownership of the wildland/urban interface issues within municipal jurisdictions

The FRIAA program is open to municipalities and communities throughout the province – both inside and outside of the Forest Protection Area.

To learn more, visit: FRIAA