FireSmarting your home and property is a powerful way to increase the likelihood your house will survive a wildfire - and there are lots of supports available.

Jessie Lay, Wildfire Mitigation Specialist, giving a home assessment to a resident.

The Home Partners Program and Free Home Assessments

Through the Home Partners Program, you can book a FREE FireSmart Home Assessment. 

What to expect:

• Book a Home Assessment online above or call 250-352-1539

• Once you have requested an assessment, the Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (WMS) for Kaslo and Area D will contact you to book a time that works for you.

• The WMS comes to your house and completes a 360^o assessment (excluding the interior of buildings). They will speak to wildfire behaviour and how a wildfire could impact your house and why.

• The WMS will then provide an in-depth report of your house and property including some actions you can take to improve your property’s resilience to wildfires. This differs from previous FireSmart Assessment scorecards, in that the results are qualitative rather than quantitative, provide achievable action items, and are completely customized to your house.

• If you choose to action any of the recommendations on the report, you can apply for the $1,000 rebate! Make sure to keep track of your hours and expenses!

Good to know about Home Assessments:

Jessie Lay, Wildfire Mitigation Specialist, giving a home assessment to a resident.

• All Home Assessments are completely PRIVATE and CONFIDENTIAL.
   FireSmart Canada and the RDCK only share details of the assessment with you.

• There are no requirements associated with getting a Home Assessment. Home Assessments are solely to give you more information about your house, and there are no requirements to act on the items in the report. 

• If you successfully complete all requirements from the report, you can book a reassessment to then become FireSmart Certified. You can choose to share your FireSmart certificate with insurance providers to potentially reduce rates or maintain coverage, or with your Realtor to assist in selling your home.

• You must be the owner of the property being assessed to book a Home Assessment. If you are renting, see the FireSmart BC Home Owner’s manual below for FireSmart tips and tricks.

• This program runs annually from May to the end of September.

Contact firesmart@rdck.ca or 250-352-1539 if you have any questions.

$1,000 Rebate Program

Earn a rebate of up to $1,000 for taking action to mitigate wildfire risk around your home and property.  

4 steps to earning the rebate:

1. Sign up for a FREE FireSmart Home Assessment (above). 

2. Take action on recommendations made in the assessment.

3. Fill out the form below and submit your information to firesmart@rdck.bc.ca

4. Get your REBATE!

To note:

•  The rebate operates on fund matching. This means that you would have to spend $2,000 to earn the maximum rebate of $1,000.

•  Eligible work can include your own labour, valued at $29.00 per hour, hired contractors, expenses for materials, or any combination of these. Make sure to keep track of hours and receipts, and take pictures!

• Rebates are distributed on a first come, first served basis. However, the RDCK will be accepting rebate applications between May 1st and November 15th annually.

Contact firesmart@rdck.ca or 250-352-1539 if you have any questions.

FireSmart BC’s Home Owner’s Manual

This is an in-depth look at what you can do in and around your house to become more FireSmart: Home Owner’s Manual

FireSmart Landscaping

Ensuring your yard is FireSmart is an important part to keeping wildfires away from your door. See the FireSmart BC Landscaping Hub for everything related to landscaping.

Keeping your grass below 10 cm, and staying away from bark mulch are just a few tips to keeping your yard FireSmart that can be found on the Landscaping Hub. 

Did you know some plants are more combustible than others? Species such as cedar, juniper, and pine are highly combustible, whereas species such as roses, cherries, and yarrow are fire-resistant.

See the FireSmart Landscaping Hub to see which fire-resistant plants can grow in your area! 

For more information, see the resources page or feel free to contact firesmart@kaslo.ca

What is the FireSmart Canada Neighbourhood Recognition Program?

The FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition Program is a unique approach to collaboratively reducing a neighbourhoods risk to wildfire through education and events. It is a grassroots, volunteer-run program that is implemented nationally through FireSmart Canada and facilitated locally by the RDCK Wildfire Mitigation Specialists. It is a small scale approach with the intent to implement achievable FireSmart goals for neighbourhood's consisting of 5-50 homes.

What are the steps to becoming a FireSmart-Recognised Neighbourhood?

1. Get in touch with the RDCK – The RDCK has a Wildfire Mitigation Specialist near you who can help establish what a FireSmart program in your neighbourhood might look like. Email the RDCK at firesmart@rdck.ca or call 250-352-1539

2. Form a FireSmart Neighbourhood Committee – A FireSmart Neighbourhood Committee consists of 3-5 people living within the neighbourhood. This also includes choosing a “Neighbourhood Champion” who will be the principal contact between the neighbourhood and the Wildfire Mitigation Specialist.

3. Receive a Neighbourhood Assessment – Similar to a Home Assessment, this addresses the wildfire-related characteristics of the neighbourhood, providing unique recommendations in the form of a detailed report. Coordinate with the RDCK through the above contact to get a Neighbourhood Assessment booked.

4. Create a FireSmart plan – A written plan for your neighbourhood's unique approach to FireSmart. 

5. Host an event and implement parts of your plan – This generally takes the form of some sort of neighbourhood event or work party. Every neighbourhood is different! See pages 3-8 of this document for ideas.

6. Apply for recognition in the fall – A one page application, completed each fall, informs FireSmart Canada what you did that year. You’ll get a plaque to put up in your neighbourhood, and annual stickers for every year you do FireSmart work!

For more information see the RDCK FireSmart Neighbourhoods Information Document and the RDCK Website.

What are the grants available to FireSmart Recognised Neighbourhoods?

The RDCK has a grant available for FireSmart Neighbourhood Champions of up to $3,000. This grant is to provide funds in order to help RDCK FireSmart Neighbourhood Champions make their neighbourhoods more resilient against wildfires. This grant compensates for expenses, such as hiring contractors, and volunteer hours.

See HERE for more information.

Reach out at firesmart@kaslo.ca and firesmart@rdck.ca if you have any questions!

FireSmart Neighbourhoods in and around Kaslo!

Recognized FireSmart Neighbourhoods in and around Kaslo: Woodbury, Loki Lots, Bayview, Pine Ridge, Lardeau and Johnson's Landing.

Upcoming FireSmart Neighbourhoods in and around Kaslo: Downtown One, Back Road and Cooker Creek.

An example of a Neighbourhood Assessment (for a portion of downtown Kaslo) is available here: Downtown One Neighbourhood Assessment