1. AMCS FireSmart Committee November 30, 2017

2. FireSmart Committee Members
Denis Thomson* (chair)
Chuck Harrison (secretary) – stepping down
Richard Douziech*
Walter Zinowski*
Darren Hutchinson
Alex Giovannelli*
*members of AMFD

3. 2017 Highlights
Held 3rd annual Community Wildfire Preparedness Day (May)
Continued to manage the Wapiti pit (every 2nd Sat May-Sep)
Hosted 2 cleanup days at the summit center
Completed 12 home/property assessments
Managed loan out of FireSmart tools
Recognized again as a FireSmart Community, 5 yrs in a row!
Posted educational materials on our FireSmart website
Averaged ~300 volunteer hours
WPD - chain saw safety, use of fire extinguishers, barricade display, sprinkler system display, distribution of brochures
~100 loads of yard waste deposited to the pit each year
~75 home inspections completed since inception
Fire Smart Tools – power tree limb lopper, wheeled whipper snipper, hand pruner, protective gear
Website – Be Ember Safe Video, Home Owner wildfire checklist

4. Wildfire Facts:
Homes that have a non-combustible roof and 10-m. of clearing of non-combustible material around their homes have a 90% chance of surviving wildfires.
More than 50 per cent of homes that burn do so as a result of an ember shower associated with wildfire and not a wall of flame moving into the community.
So, if we can keep roofs from igniting and spot fires starting within 10-m. of homes during an ember shower, then we can greatly increase the chance of homes surviving a wildfire.

5. What Can Homeowners Do?
Become FireSmart – get involved in your community
Property owners can influence how fire moves across and impacts their properties
Adopt the use of non combustible materials around house
Locate flammables >10m from buildings (propane, firewood)
Regularly collect and remove debris, dead pine needles
Thin out dense trees, Delimb low branches
Add screens to vents
Make use of “Barricade Gel” or sprinkler systems
Local Fire Department can only handle so much

6. Next Steps Renew FireSmart recognition
Hold Community Wildfire Preparedness Day
Continue to manage Wapiti Pit
Manage rental of yard maintenance equipment
Promote FireSmart awareness through education
Perform property assessments as requested
Act as a resource to support our community and others seeking FireSmart knowledge

7. Questions?