How to protect your home during the driest summer on record

Standing in the middle of Patricia St., a clear view of Whistlers Mountain paints the backdrop of the south end of town. Jasper fire chief Greg Van Tighem explains how ember transport – what the fire specialists call it when wildfires hurl huge, hot embers, sometimes hundreds of feet ahead - could easily land in neighbourhoods of Jasper.

Suddenly, the image of tree-sized embers flying through the air make you feel small as you take a 360 degree look at what surrounds your home.

But, that’s why the Jasper Fire Department, Jasper National Park Fire Specialists, media, insurance companies and Jasper residents took a look around Deputy Fire Chief Ron Stanko’s house on Wednesday (May 5) to take a look at what can be done to prevent such an event.

“If you ever saw pictures of Kelowna and some of these big fires that really hit subdivisions, it’s almost like random people torched those houses, because there was a house here that’s not touched, then there are three houses gone, and then there’s another house that’s not touched,” says Van Tighem.

The FireSmart ForestWise program used Stanko’s house as a model for residents to see, as he has made many changes to his property in order to protect it from a wildfire event. 

A quick look at what you can do to your home

1. Most houses in Jasper have roofs that are approaching the end of their life-span. Cedar shakes although popular, are easy for an ember to ignite, especially if it doesn’t have much of a slope, allowing the home to essentially burn from the outside in. An asphalt roof is a much more fire-resistant choice when thinking about fire safety on your roof.
   
2. Many homes in Jasper have cedar siding to go along with their cedar roof. Stanko’s house once had cedar siding, but he has since replaced it with stucco, making the vertical surface also treated.
3. Everybody wants to have a nice looking yard, but shrubs like junipers are some of the most flammable plants available. Removing shrubs and trees that are along the side of the house will help reduce flames from reaching the structure. A ten-metre rule of thumb is a safe distance to have trees and shrubs and gardens. Laying down gravel or rocks along the side of your house is an alternative.
4. Covering up all soffits will reduce the chance of embers or flames getting into buildings through the eaves. Flames can travel through an eave, into the attic, so sealing everything around the edges of your roof will help make it less combustible.
5. Screening your vents to prevent hot air and embers from getting sucked into your home through your H-VAC system, which is constantly drawing in air.
6. Screening your chimney will also prevent embers from a fireplace from floating up and flying out of your home, landing in a yard or on a neighbour’s house.
7. Keeping your eavestrophes clean of needles will remove potential fuel that often is the start of a house fire.
8. Installing a sprinkler system on your roof is an easy-to-do job that, if set up properly, can be turned on without climbing up a ladder. Watering your property for two hours before a wildfire event arrives can make the difference between losing or saving your house. Sprinkler kits are available commercially.
9. Moving your wood pile away from your house will leave important space between the pile – a source of fuel – and your home.
10. Moving your barbecue off of your deck and onto a patio or in the lawn is another easy and safe move to help prevent a structural fire.