Enhancing Community Resilience as Wildfire Risk Increases

The document examines the increasing risk of wildfires in Canada due to climate change and evaluates the FireSmart program as a tool for community resilience. It highlights the high cost of disasters like the Fort McMurray fire and argues for a shift from reactive response to proactive risk reduction through updated building codes, limited urban sprawl, and integrated forest management.

• Climate change is projected to increase the number of dry, windy days conducive to wildfires by up to 50% in western Canada and 200% in eastern Canada.
• The 2016 Fort McMurray fire serves as a significant example of wildfire impact, costing nearly $9 billion and displacing 85,000 people, while causing long-term mental health issues among students.
• Analysis of the Fort McMurray fire indicates that most home ignitions were caused by embers rather than direct flame contact, and homes survived based on the absence of ignition hazards across 20 different factors.
• The FireSmart program, initiated by Partners in Protection in Alberta, provides tools for homeowners to reduce risk by removing ignition hazards within 10 metres of homes and investing in fire-resistant materials like Class A roofing.
• Current Canadian building codes generally do not require fire-resistant materials, leaving the financial burden of risk reduction on homeowners; Quebec is the only province with regulatory standards guiding local governments in this area.
• Effective wildfire risk management requires a combination of home ignition reduction and forest management, yet government funding has remained largely reactive, focusing on response and recovery rather than cost-effective risk reduction.
• Urban sprawl into wildland areas increases overall wildfire risk and costs, but governments have been reluctant to limit development, partly due to a lack of commonly available wildfire hazard maps.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2020). Enhancing Community Resilience as Wildfire Risk Increases. https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/enhancing-community-resilience-as-wildfire-risk-increases/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. Enhancing Community Resilience as Wildfire Risk Increases. 2020. https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/enhancing-community-resilience-as-wildfire-risk-increases/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=Enhancing Community Resilience as Wildfire Risk Increases |date=31 March 2020 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/enhancing-community-resilience-as-wildfire-risk-increases/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitute2020enhancing, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{Enhancing Community Resilience as Wildfire Risk Increases}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/enhancing-community-resilience-as-wildfire-risk-increases/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }