Program Participants

Visit www.FireSmartBC.ca/homepartners and complete the online application form to schedule your assessment. A FireSmart Home Partners Program WMS (Wildfire Mitigation Specialist) will follow up with you to confirm your appointment.

If you have specific questions about the Home Partners Program, you can also contact FireSmart BC directly via email at: [email protected].

A FireSmart Home Partners Program WMS will visit your home to complete a comprehensive assessment of your property. The assessment will take between one to three hours to complete, depending on the size and complexity of your home and property. We ask that you are present at the time of the assessment.

During the initial assessment, a FireSmart Home Partners Program WMS will walk the property and collect data to create a report outlining the mitigation work to be completed.

The WMS will complete a detailed assessment of the building materials used, home design, and the condition of each component of your home. The assessment can be interactive and the WMS will explain their findings either during or after the assessment has been conducted. .

The WMS may recommend mitigation that involves vegetation removal, storage habits, building material changes or other minor structural modifications. If tree removal is suggested, the WMS will work with you on their selection and considerations.

Following the assessment of your home and property, the WMS will work their way out through each of the FireSmart Home Ignition Zones to assess landscaping, vegetation, and combustible storage.

Once your assessment is complete, a report will be generated consisting of all of the mitigation work required, providing you with a FireSmart work plan for your home. This will be sent to you alongside various resources to assist in completing any home retrofit work or vegetation removal advice.

While a WMS will eventually provide a work plan with recommendations for your home and property, you can perform several actions to reduce your risk and provide for a smoother assessment before your scheduled visit:

• Clean debris such as leaves, pine needles, and branches out of gutters, eaves, and along your roof.
• Clean up surface fuels around your property like dead grass, dry shrubs, leaves, pine needles, and brush.
• Move firewood and construction materials at least 10 metres away from your home.
• Regularly mow your lawn to keep grass shorter than 10 centimetres.
• Prune tree branches that are within 2 metres of the ground.
• Choose fire-resistant plants for your property.
• Remove branches that hang over your roof.
• Clean up pet ‘biological hazards.
• Identify any areas that may be hazardous to an assessor (eg: open wells, hanging branches, hazardous materials, unfriendly pet occupied spaces).