After a busy 2023, FireSmart activities are already ramping up in Whitecourt

When human development meets the edge of the vast forest, it’s referred to as the Wildland-
Urban Interface (WUI). Communities surrounded by densely treed forests are exposed to the
risk of wildfire. Communities nationwide, including much of the province, felt that exposure
intensified last summer.
In the WUI, risks come from vegetation (trees, shrubs) and man-made structures like buildings
and infrastructure. To help mitigate the risk of living in such a beautiful but highly exposed part
of the landscape, FireSmart techniques are becoming increasingly relied upon.
On April 8, at Whitecourt Town Council’s regular meeting, Lee Hardman, Director of Community
Safety, and Fire Chief Brian Wynn, the FireSmart Coordinator, provided the FireSmart Annual
Report for 2023. In previous years, the department has successfully applied for funding from the
Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) to hire a summer crew for
vegetation work in the community. Last summer, funding wasn’t available. Summer crews clear
out dead and dying vegetation, clear brush, and reduce the fuels in the forest. Areas around
Centennial Park have received attention in the past, as well as the area surrounding Ecole St.
Joseph’s School.
With no crew last summer, the Whitecourt FireSmart Working Group, which began in 2021,
focused heavily on community engagement and education to boost awareness of FireSmart and
how it can help keep the municipality safe. The group aims to build a FireSmart culture in the
community that includes schools, industries, government policies, and planning.
One big piece of that education pie came through doing home assessments. Thanks to the
Intact Public Entities and Intact Financial Corporation Grant ($100,000), the department
completed more home assessments than in previous years. “We completed 41 home
assessments and handed out $10,500 in home incentives to town residents. That worked
extremely well. Obviously, if residents have incentive, they’ll go and do the work with a little bit
of support or help. I would say that was a huge win for getting community engagement,”
explained Fire Chief Wynn.
In 2021, they completed six home assessments. In 2022, they completed 38. Along with the 41
assessments done in Whitecourt last year, the department also did ten in Woodlands County.
When asked by Councillor Derek Schlosser how long it takes to complete an assessment, Chief
Wynn said it depended on the residence. “We book typically an hour minimum but some of them
have been over two hours. We won’t do a home assessment unless the owner is home because
we want to get that engagement.”
Assessments will continue this year, and Chief Wynn said a growing waiting list already exists.
“We are waiting on weather to start. We have four or five lined up.” Home Assessments are
completed with two assessors and offer one-on-one engagement with residents on FireSmart
best practices and ideas for lowering their home’s risk.
Also tied to the Intact grant was funding to complete the department’s sprinkler trailer. “We
already had a lot of the equipment, but the grant program allowed us to purchase a trailer and
complete it to an SPU Level 2 Response Trailer. That’s probably a quarter million dollars’ worth

of inventory in that trailer, including the pumps and hose, and over 200 sprinklers, tanks,
chainsaws, absolutely everything you need,” said Chief Wynn.
“It was already deployed last year, for its first year, to three communities, and it was deployed
for 29 days. So, it’s definitely a need and a huge success for us to be able to get out and
support not only Woodlands County but also Fox Creek, Parkland County, and Edson. It’s nice
to have those resources and the people trained to go out and do it,” he explained.
After a very busy summer with floods, fires and evacuees, the working group held its first BBQ,
inviting all emergency services for a bite to eat, including forestry, wildland, RCMP, ambulance,
fire department and town staff. About 150 first responders and industry partners attended the
September event. “It was a tremendous event,” said Chief Wynn.
The goals for 2024 include continuing home assessments and getting the summer crew back in
action on April 29, after a year off. FireSmart activities have begun, with work in the bushes
beyond the sidewalk along Dahl Drive. The FireSmart Working Group will again focus on
community engagement as it continues building the FireSmart culture in Whitecourt.
Chief Wynn said that, typically, $400,000 is spent locally each year with grant funding for
FireSmart projects. He also said they need to start looking East. “We’ve received over two
million dollars’ worth of grant funding over the years. We have treated all out mapped areas for
mitigation strategy but with the new study from the University of Alberta they think our biggest
threat is coming from the East. We need to relook at that now and see what we need to do,” he
explained.
“Is there still going to be an incentive for residents to receive funding to remove certain trees or
have assessments?” Councillor Tara Baker questioned. Chief Wynn said yes. “Good. When you
see your neighbour getting it done, it creates questions and conversations. If a lot of people did
little things and changed something, it would make our community a lot safer,” said Councillor
Baker. Anyone interested in having a home assessment done is encouraged to call the fire
department.
Following the presentation, Whitecourt Town Council heard about another Forest Resource
Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) grant opportunity. One requirement for the grant
was that the Council support it in the form of a motion. The grant was for the Community
Fireguard Program. If approved, 100% of the project cost would be covered under FRIAA.
“This would be a fire guard within town limits. The benefits of that are that it would reduce the
threat of wildfires in our community or the spread of wildfire into the community,” explained
Hardman. A fireguard’s role is to slow a wildfire’s movement toward the community with
controlled lines like wide paths where fuel (brushes, trees) is removed. If approved, the project
would start this summer. Council voted unanimously to put support behind the proposal.