Curious about what it means to get a FireSmart home assessment? Here’s some insight

After a record-breaking forest fire season that no one will soon forget, many homeowners are becoming
more aware of the everyday dangers that surround their homes. From the physical space around the
house to the décor and plant life added in and the materials on or near the home, the conversation of
what is and what isn’t safe is growing.
One of the ways homeowners can learn about their risks is by having a FireSmart Home Assessment with
the Whitecourt Fire Department. The Whitecourt Press tagged along for a recent assessment in
Woodlands County. The homeowner, Lois Cartwright, brought the department in to learn what she and
her family could do to lessen their risks in preparation for spring and a new fire season.
Upon arrival at the property, and after introductions, Fire Chief Brian Wynn and FF1 Terrance Corke
began assessing the home’s exterior. “What we do for a FireSmart Home Assessment is start at the roof,
come down the sides and then go 30 metres into the bush. We are looking at your residence’s
survivability and things you could improve on. We will also be talking about if we put you on evacuation
alert, what things you should be trying to do at the same time, too, so that you will help us save your
house if it comes to that,” explained Chief Wynn.
Notes and pictures were taken of things that could be changed. “At the end of this process, you will
receive a PDF of everything we discussed and a little summary,” said Corke. “Your roof is a tin roof which
is awesome. As we come down, we look for things like your eavestrough and what kind of material
they’re made from. Yours look aluminum which is good.”
With a mirror in tow, Corke checked to see if the eavestrough had debris inside. “The big thing with pine
needles and leaves is to ensure eavestrough are cleaned out a couple of times a year. The biggest
danger in a wildfire situation, especially out here in the County, is the embers that fly in front of the fire,
not so much the fire itself. That’s what we are trying to protect, is those areas where embers will build
and could potentially fester enough to ignite the home.”
Corke recommended that the homeowner get a cover for the eavestrough, negating the need to climb a
ladder. Fire Chief Wynn added that homeowners with coniferous trees (needles) should be mindful of
build-up in eavestroughs as needles become matchsticks. “We don’t want them within ten metres of the
home,” said Chief Wynn, speaking of coniferous trees. “When they burn, they burn up with some big
BTUs. It’ll be a one-minute fire, but it’ll be an extremely intense fire.”
From there, the trio looked at the siding. Corke explained that he was looking for gaps where wood
beneath showed through. They also looked at outdoor vents. Corke explained that vents need flaps
inside. He also mentioned the importance of cleaning screens inside vents too. “On the fire prevention
side of things, clean those vents because it helps your furnace breathe so you don’t get CO2 emissions in
the house.”
Chief Wynn homed in on a beautiful piece of driftwood made into a flower garden piece in front of a
basement window. He said putting a wood piece out in the yard would be a safer bet. Corke credited
Cartwright for having a dirt-covered flower bed instead of the item they see often and always

recommend against using. “Lots of people like to put bark mulch down. But our saying is mulch bad,
rock good. As lovely as it is, it’s one thing you wouldn’t want beside your house.”
Chief Wynn pointed out the mowed grass throughout the yard and into the tree line and said they had
done a fantastic job. He also credited them for having mowed trails within the property. “Even
something as simple as a trail can stop a ground fire from spreading. It’s unbelievable what something
like that can stop. Keep it up!” He said the complete mowing in County ditches, thanks to homeowners,
including the Cartwrights, is incredible. “That also helps protect your property. If you notice, it also helps
protect the power poles because it takes the fuel away. If everybody did that, in the big picture, that
makes it better and safer.”
Corke recommended composite deck materials for future renovations as a better choice than wood. He
also recommended keeping the space between deck boards tight so that embers can’t get in underneath
and to screen off under the deck, or get a non-combustible alternative, to keep swirling embers away.
Speaking about things they could do if placed under evacuation or alert, Chief Wynn said everything
flammable should be removed from the deck. “Cushions, wood, even the planter pot. It’s just saying,
land here and start me on fire. I wouldn’t want to see anything on this deck. Same with hanging plants.
They are fuel and likely have peat moss inside.”
Corke then pointed out that the homeowner had their firewood pilled up away from the home in a
metal shed. “I love your old shed full of firewood. It’s beyond ten metres from the house. It’s perfect.
When it’s thirty below, it sucks a bit to go for a walk, but it’s safer. Your last line of defence is 1.5 metres
away from your house. That’s the absolutely no combustion zone, as we say.”
Advice given included cutting back plants that die off in the winter, like grasses, so there isn’t an issue in
the spring—cutting low branches on trees so that a ground fire has a harder time travelling from the
ground up the tree, and keeping grass cut.
The last item on the assessment was to show the homeowner how the W.A.S.P. sprinkler system works.
Easily mounted onto the eavestrough, the system releases a low flow, steady stream of water as it spins,
wetting a large area. He added that homeowners who evacuate and have sprinkler systems should place
signs at the end of their driveways to inform firefighters. In the end, Chief Wynn asked Cartwright if she
was a “FireSmart-er,” to which Lois said, with a big smile, “I think I am,” and Chief agreed. “I think you
guys are doing a great job.”