'Tremendous amount we could be doing': Expert shares tips for preventing, adapting to wildfires

As wildfires rage across Canada in what’s being called an unprecedented season, one expert says there’s more that individuals and communities can do to adapt and prevent forest fires from causing widespread devastation.

As wildfires rage across Canada in what’s being called an unprecedented season, one expert says there’s more that individuals and communities can do to adapt and prevent forest fires from causing widespread devastation.

“There's a tremendous amount we could be doing preventively ahead of the curve,” Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.

“The problem I find is that most of the time people wait until the floods are occurring or the fires are occurring or whatever, and they say, ‘Well, what do we do?’ And when your house is on fire, there's not a heck of a lot you can do.”

The Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation and FireSmart Canada have released a guide that features three key steps — expected to cost anywhere from $0 to $30,000 — that homeowners can take to limit damage and disruption from wildfire events.

First, the guide suggests maintaining your home at least twice per year, which is estimated to cost up to roughly $300 if you do this on your own.

This includes removing all combustible materials such as firewood and lumber stored within 10 metres of the perimeter of your home and under decks as well as removing all combustible ground cover like mulch, plants and shrubs within 1.5 to two metres of the perimeter.

“Because the fire comes up, ignites the shrubbery, that heat transfers into the house and that house burns down. So you get rid of that burnable material and replace it with riverstone or other types of attractive material that doesn't burn,” Feltmate explained.