Parkland County – A Provincial Leader in Wildfire Prevention

Parkland County, AB

Parkland County is now one of the leading Alberta communities in wildfire prevention, with a heightened focus following a destructive wildfire season in 2023. The number of Advanced FireSmartTM Home Assessments completed by the Parkland County Fire Services team in 2024 increased by 127% over the previous year.

“Residents are proud to show their neighbours that they have contributed to a safer community, and fellow Fire Departments are recognizing how useful these tools are,” said Parkland County FireSmart coordinator, Kyle Sherman. “Parkland County is leading the charge in Alberta to raise awareness of best practices in fire mitigation at the community level.”

The County drove the increase in resident Advanced FireSmart Home Assessments with a “Wildfire is Coming” awareness campaign, which itself occurred during an unseasonably dry spring that resulted in an early start to wildfire season. For each FireSmart visit, a trained assessor completes a brief tour of the property to identify areas of risk and design a simple plan that residents can put into action to reduce the impact of an approaching wildfire.

Following the success of Parkland’s program, elements from the “Wildfire is Coming” campaign are now being adopted by municipalities elsewhere in the province, including lawn signs displayed for completed assessments to show a property is FireSmart and encourage neighbours to take part and protect their own homes and communities. In 2024, the Parkland County Fire Services team completed 118 FireSmart Advanced Home Assessments compared with just 52 assessments in 2023.

“After the devastation of the Tomahawk and RR70 fires, our residents have really taken action to implement the principles laid out in the FireSmart program to protect their homes and communities from the threat of an approaching wildfire. I’m proud of the efforts our Fire Services team has put into educating residents on the value of being FireSmart and look forward to seeing the program being adopted even further across the County,”said Mayor Allan Gamble.

Assessments are available during all snow-free months of the year. To learn more about the FireSmart program and to schedule a home assessment, visit www.parklandcounty.com/FireSmart.

FireSmart is a national program used by communities to reduce the potential risk of wildfire damage. FireSmart, Intelli-feu and other associated Marks are trademarks of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).