Sounding alarm as early start to season raises wildfire concerns  

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Picture the scenario in which you must suddenly abandon everything, gather your children, and evacuate your work and home. This fear is shared by 43 per cent of Alberta residents, as revealed in a new weather and property survey. Three-quarters of Alberta residents (76 per cent) also admitted having fears about wildfires and wildfire smoke.

Unfortunately, this fear is becoming more of a reality each year. Alberta declared an early start to this year’s wildfire season — 10 days before the usual March 1 start date. As of April 1, there were 57 active wildfires in the province. This after last year’s record-breaking wildfire season, in which Alberta saw 1,092 wildfires burning a total of 2.2 million hectares.

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Whenever we get a major fire close to homes or businesses, there is a risk — not only of evacuation and an effect on residents’ lives, but a looming threat of business interruption. Nevertheless, the early start and frequency of this year’s fires is notable, and the unpredictability of when and where these blazes are going to start is concerning. Large fires can start close to populated areas with no notice, and it’s crucial to be prepared.

The No. 1 piece of preparedness advice is awareness — always listen to authorities. If a community is on evacuation alert, residents need to be ready to go at the drop of a hat, equipped with a full tank of gas and a packed bag. Moving quickly can protect lives. For businesses, preparation can be a complex matter but is an important step toward mitigating risk and minimizing the effects of a wildfire.

Oftentimes, we see particulate levels in the air in major metropolitan areas that are 30 or 40 times the normal safe limit because of wildfire smoke, even though the fire can be as far as 1,000 kilometres away. Depending on wind direction, the result can be smoke-filled skies, such as we saw in several Canadian provinces and U.S. jurisdictions last summer. Both Edmonton and Calgary set records for “smoke hours” in 2023, according to Environment Canada numbers.

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For business owners, employees and residents, breathing in wildfire smoke can be dangerous, and providing clean air for employees, customers, tenants and residents is a priority. Employers can take steps to protect workers, including allowing for flexible work schedules on low air quality days and installing additional air scrubbing equipment.

Much discussion and action has taken place to protect, prepare and build communities to be more resilient to fires. Some of the strategies being deployed include new building technology with paperless and mould-resistant materials, more sustainable materials such as steel-shake roofing and using more fire-resistant external building materials such as wood-free landscaping.

Wildfires have also highlighted the risks of fire and smoke damage to commercial and residential properties. Residents and business owners need to be aware of the tangible ways they can protect their lives, properties and assets from wildfire. This includes making the roof fire-resistant, clearing away gutter debris, removing nearby coniferous trees, pruning trees and keeping the lawn mowed, using fire-smart landscaping and creating an evacuation plan.

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Additionally, it’s critical to ensure that businesses and homes have adequate insurance coverage. Of note, 57 per cent of respondents in the weather and property survey conducted by First Onsite Property Restoration were concerned about whether their insurance was at the right level. Residents should check their policies or ask their insurance representative to confirm their limit.

Ultimately, catastrophes provide an occasion to reshape our thinking about how our communities are planned and constructed to provide a safer, more sustainable environment. While community planners take into consideration how development can coexist with natural areas, communities can plan for events and take extra steps to prepare in advance to protect properties, reduce business interruption and safeguard lives.

Jim Mandeville is senior vice-president, large loss, with First Onsite Property Restoration. He has mitigated fires and disasters for businesses and homeowners, including in Alberta during the Slave Lake, Fort McMurray and 2019 Alberta wildfires.

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