In response to recent devastating wildfire seasons in Alberta, a new tool is helping communities in the province determine, reduce and better manage their risk as forecasts suggest these events will become more frequent.
The Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, in partnership with FireSmartTM Alberta, released a new report entitled, From Risk to Readiness: Enhancing Alberta's Wildfire Preparedness Through the FireSmart™ Scorecard. The Scorecard helps communities assess and strengthen their wildfire readiness. Evaluating 10 critical areas, such as vegetation management, emergency planning, and training for emergency responders, this tool could be customized to help communities across the country save people, homes and infrastructure from wildfires.
In 2023, over a thousand wildfires in Alberta broke records with the size of the area they destroyed - including more than 100 homes - triggering mass evacuations and causing widespread concerns over air quality. Last year's wildfire season was equally intense, with nearly 1,200 fires, including the Jasper Wildfire Complex, which displaced 25,000 people and destroyed a third of the town.
"The Scorecard helps communities move from reacting in a crisis to proactive wildfire preparedness," said Dr. Anabela Bonada, managing director, climate science at the Intact Centre. "There used to be no way for municipalities in Alberta to measure this specific risk. Now they can identify strengths, pinpoint gaps and focus investments to build long-term resilience to wildfires."
In 2024, 10 pilot communities tested the Scorecard across Alberta. While the average overall grade was a B, municipalities' individual results per category ranged from A+ to fail. The pilot revealed strong emergency planning and training capabilities, but systemic barriers to preparedness including funding constraints, limited staff capacity, weak enforcement powers and confusion regarding which municipal authority to regulate wildfire risk.
"Despite areas of strength in wildfire preparedness across Albertan communities, caution should be paramount, as fire will exploit outstanding weak links in the chain to wreak havoc", said Dr. Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre. "As wildfires grow in number and size, Canadians must prepare for all dimensions of resilience, not as a choice, but as a necessity."
The report calls for action to overcome these obstacles, including:
- Expand and Simplify Provincial Funding so that more communities can navigate the application process for financial support to fund community wildfire preparedness.
- Legislative Reforms to increase the authority of municipalities to enforce wildfire-resilient construction.
- Give Direction to homeowners on simple actions they can take to protect their homes from risk of wildfire.
- Improved Guidance to raise awareness among municipal workers on zoning and landscaping to reduce wildfire risk in areas where communities meet forests and grasslands.
Expanding the adoption of the Scorecard Alberta-wide would provide all municipalities with a standardized framework to prioritize investment in resilience, allocate resources effectively and prepare communities for increasing wildfire risk to protect lives and property.
"In leading this effort, Alberta could pave the way for a coordinated, nationwide approach to community wildfire resilience," Bonada said. "The early onset of simultaneous wildfires in 2025 across Alberta, Manitoba and Newfoundland underscores the need to mobilize wildfire protection immediately."
Full details of the report and Scorecard are available on the website for the Intact Centre.
(Photo credit for banner image: Schroptschop/Getty Images)
