Protect your home from wildfires with FireSmart
Recent wildfire seasons across Canada have illustrated the vulnerability of communities to wildfires, as well as the potential for devastating loss.
Since 2015, Co-operators has been a founding partner of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, along with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Spearheaded by FireSmart Canada, Wildfire Community Preparedness Day continues to grow year after year, with hundreds of communities across Canada receiving awards for local mitigation efforts to protect homes and communities from wildfire.
Co-operators supported the development of the FireSmart Home Development Guide to help Canadians make informed decisions about how to protect their homes and loved ones from wildfire.
We have also partnered with FireSmart™ BC to encourage homeowners to take advantage of the FireSmart BC Wildfire Mitigation Program and the Neighbourhood Recognition Program. These free, voluntary programs help you understand wildfire behaviour so you can prepare your home or neighbourhood to be more resilient in the event of a wildfire in your community.
As a Co-operators client, you’re eligible for a discount on the wildfire peril premium portion of your home insurance if you’re certified through WMP and/or live in a FireSmart-recognized neighbourhood.
Your local Co-operators Financial Advisor can provide further details about the wildfire peril premium discount and how to qualify: Find a financial representative (cooperators.ca)
What causes wildfires?
Wildfires can start naturally and happen on a regular basis, but the severity of wildfires are increasing, resulting in growing economic losses and financial burden for Canadian homeowners. The reasons for this continued increase include:
- Rising global temperatures
- Extreme weather events
- The growing world population and development
- Changes to how land is used
Researchers are predicting “an alarming increase over the next 20 or 30 years in the risk of property damage in the wildland-urban interface, including risk of homes destroyed by fire,” says Paul Kovacs, executive director of ICLR. “Fortunately, most of these losses are preventable if property owners and communities take the time to prepare.”
"FireSmart is the number-one mitigation program for wildfire in Canada."
Preventing wildfires takes group effort. Proper risk management requires a partnership in which insurance companies, emergency responders, property owners and others each play a crucial role.
Learn more about FireSmart programs that were developed by wildfire experts to help homeowners protect their homes and property.