FireSmart Home Incentive Program to continue following Intact funding end

Two years ago, the Town of Whitecourt received a $100,000 grant from Intact Public Entities
and the Intact Financial Corporation to create the FireSmart Home Incentive Program and
purchase a sprinkler trailer. The FireSmart Home Incentive program’s focus was to encourage
homeowners to learn about their home’s fire risk by doing a walk-through of their exterior
property with members of the Whitecourt Fire Department.
Members would give homeowners feedback on changes they might want to consider making
like removing certain trees, pulling vegetation away from the house, using non-flammable
materials for decking or roofing and other risk-lowering FireSmart practices to mitigate the risk
to their private property should a fire be near them. Depending on what changes residents made
following their assessment, they could receive funding in return, giving them a great incentive.
The program was very successful through 2022 and 2023 with several area residents taking
advantage of the opportunity. In 2023 alone, 41 home assessments were completed (31 in
Whitecourt and 10 in Woodlands County) and over ten thousand dollars was given out. The
year prior, in 2022, 38 assessments were done. In 2021, the first year of the program, before
funding was available, only six were completed, indicating that the cashback incentive worked.
The Town of Whitecourt and the Whitecourt Fire Department have prioritized FireSmart
practices on public lands in and around the municipality for years, to help lower the community’s
wildfire risk. Last year, the reality of living surrounded by forest became even more obvious than
it already was as the community became a safe haven for hundreds of visitors fleeing their
wildfire-threatened communities. The FireSmart Home Incentive Program focuses on private
properties, something especially important for residents living on the edge of the forest.
This year, the funding from Intact was no more, but Whitecourt Town Council, seeing the
benefits of the program, decided to set aside funding from the budget to support the
continuation of the program. In late May, Council went over updates for Policy 23-012:
FireSmart Home Incentive Program at their Policies and Priorities meeting. Lee Hardman,
Director of Community Safety detailed the necessary changes to the policy, including switching
wording from Intact to the Town of Whitecourt.
He explained that the amount offered also changed. Under the Intact funding, up to $50,000
was set aside for home assessment rebates, used over two years. Without that funding, the
program now has a budget of eight thousand yearly, which could change year by year
depending on budget constraints.
Improvements that can result in cashback include up to $1,000 for upgrading roofing material to
something Class A ignition resistant or having an arborist remove conifer trees ($500/each to a
max of $1,000). There’s also $500 each for things like converting existing mulch to rock, or
something non-combustible, and putting a sheath or screen beneath a deck. Homeowners who
are recommended to clean and cover their eavestroughs can receive up to $200. In total, each
property assessed and improved can receive a maximum of $1,000.
Changes in the policy also included an update on how funding will be divided out. Previously,
homeowners could apply in rounds. In 2022, round one of applications were accepted until
October and in 2023, round two applications were open until August. Going forward,

applications will be accepted until October 31 each year, based on funding availability. To
access funds through the program, residents must first complete a FireSmart Home
Assessment with the Whitecourt Fire Department. The department will review and prioritize
applications and allocate funding.
The Policies and Priorities Committee voted unanimously to move the updated policy forward
for adoption at a future Regular Meeting of Council. On week later Whitecourt Town Council
voted unanimously again, officially updating the policy. “We’ve spent the funding from Intact and
now we are going to continue this program, hopefully, into the future,” said Hardman.
FireSmart Canada states that FireSmart programs are implemented through seven disciplines:
education, emergency planning, vegetation management, legislation, development, interagency
cooperation and cross-training. Each discipline is explained in detail on their website,
www.firesmartcanada.ca.
“The grassroots implementation of FireSmart by empowered members of the public often results
in the most robust neighbourhood programs,” the website states. Having residents call their
local fire department, taking the initiative to help increase safety at home, not just from forest
fires but even a close neighbourhood fire, can lead to an educational home assessment and
upgrades that can then be shared with neighbours, further increasing safety if more people take
advantage of it because their neighbour shared their experience.
“Neighbours talk, friends talk, people share information that is important to them and FireSmart
is no different. Phone calls and face-to-face conversations from residents and professionals can
have a more meaningful and lasting effect on people,” states firesmartcanada.ca.
Understanding how to mitigate risk could not only save someone’s home, but it could potentially
save their neighbourhood. “As neighbourhoods extend further into forested areas, homes and
neighbourhoods are becoming more exposed to ignition from wildfire. A structure is more likely
to be destroyed in a wildfire when it is located in a high-density area where homes can ignite
and fire is able to easily transfer from building to building,” further explains the site.
Homeowners interested in setting up a free home assessment are encouraged to call the
Whitecourt Fire Department. Members from the department continue to train for the program
enabling more assessments to happen. Residents can call 780-778-2342 Monday to Friday
between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm to book.