FireSmart at home.
By taking action and creating a FireSmart property, you will dramatically increase the resistance of your home and property to damage caused by wildfire.
Why FireSmart your home?
The Town of Creston is in a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) area, which is where human development meets with the natural environment, putting Creston homes at risk of damage from wildfire.
The FireSmart program is based on scientific research suggesting that implementing proven steps around your property is the most effective way to protect your home from wildfire.
Embers or firebrands are the burning debris that can be cast up to two kilometres ahead of a wildfire, by wind or energy from the fire. Embers can ignite materials on or near your home, causing severe damage or total home loss. Once homes or adjacent materials begin burning, they can continue casting embers further into the community.
Changes made to the area closest to your home, and your home itself, have the greatest potential to reduce the risk of wildfire damage.
To learn how to reduce the potential impacts of wildfire to your home use the FireSmart BC Begins at Home Guide.
Request a home assessment
FireSmart focuses on what is realistic for you to achieve in order to limit the risk of wildfire to your home. Changes within 10 metres of your home will have the biggest impact. Make sure that you maintain a 1.5-metre, non-combustible zone around your entire home and any attachments. Fire embers may seem small, but they should not be underestimated — 50 per cent of home fires caused by wildfires are started by embers.
FireSmart principles have shown that they are effective at reducing the risk to life and property in the most extreme wildfire conditions. The FireSmart program is backed by a vast amount of field, laboratory and wildfire modelling research.
To request a FREE home assessment, visit HERE
Please note: FireSmart does not share the assessment or any details of the assessment with the insurance industry.
Apply for rebates
Once you have completed your FireSmart Home Assessment, you may be eligible for rebates.
A Wildfire Mitigation Specialist will work with you to develop a Rebate Work Plan where you can provide an estimate of how long the mitigation suggestions should take to complete. As long as funds are still available, you could receive up to 50% of $10,000 (a maximum of $5,000).
Rebates can be applied for once per year and only apply to work that has been completed in the same year of the rebate application. Only recommended work completed within 30 metres of the home is eligible for a rebate and a new home assessment is required every four years to continue applying for rebates.