https://begins-at-home-guide.firesmartbc.ca
Growing up as I did in the logging industry in Northern B. C., the threat of forest fires was an element of my environment. The subject was part of the dinner-table repertoire, especially during fire season. I even fought a couple of small fires in my teenage years. And one thing I learned is that knowledge is power.
So the other day, out of idle curiosity, I opened the “FireSmart BC Begins At Home Guide” and filled out their Firesmart Score Card for my home. According to my score, it’s a good thing I retired to the damp, dreary Lower Mainland of B. C., because just about anywhere else in the province the house I live in would be in serious risk of wildfire destruction.
Negatives
The major offender is a huge cedar tree within two metres of the house. Its branches stretch over half of my living room roof, and I have to go up there once a year to clean off the twigs and other dross that collect on the surface. That one plant gave me 33 demerits right off the top.
The other culprit is my deck, which snuggles up to the house for about 10 metres along one side Its surface is engineered decking, so that’s okay. The structure is solid wood, which surprisingly enough does not lose me points, but the sheathe-in around the edges is ¼ ply, rather tattered. So, I’m taking off half-points for the deck: -15
My large double-paned windows lost me another 2.
Last but not least, I have cedar siding, Another 6 points gone. I’m surprised it was that little.
And Then There’s the Yard.
Knock 30 points off right away for the cedar fence that runs 2 metres away down one side of the house, complete with two wooden gates that connect to the house.
I have twenty or thirty perennial shrubs within 30 metres of the house but they’re all deciduous, so that only loses me 10 points.
I’m doing the math in my head, but even so, that means I’m approaching 100 demerits, when “Extreme Hazard” starts at 35. If we ever did have a forest fire, I’d be toast. Literally.
On the Other Hand
Ameliorating circumstances include a metal roof, aluminum soffit gratings, and engineered decking. The rest of the house has tile, cement or flower beds with dirt surfaces for at least a metre wide around the foundation. I have several shrubs touching the house, but they’re all deciduous.
Twenty years ago, when I bought my house and planned the reno, the immediate threats of global warming were nebulous. Now, they are very specific. Now I have further additions to my yearly “to do” list.
What to do?
First is to clean out pockets of twigs, leaves and grass that have inevitably gathered. And especially clean off the roof. That would gain at whole 3 points back. It was on the list already.
Next is to re-sheathe the sides of the decking. The ¼ ply is getting tattered, and I don’t want an incursion of rats or raccoons, so it would be a good move. ¼-inch Hardiboard sheathing isn’t too expensive, and being cement, it’s rot- and chew-proof.
What I Won’t Be Doing
The cedar tree is staying, for financial and aesthetical reasons. It’s quite isolated in the front yard, so I’ll take my chances.
Likewise the two gates. If there was a fire coming, I could wire them open.
I’m not destroying the shrubbery garden my wife has taken fifteen years to develop. Fifteen minutes with my chainsaw would remove the plants that touch the house if necessary.
The fence beside the house is on the property line, so that’s not going anywhere. Also, it’s completely isolated by driveways and lawns on both sides, so I doubt if it’s worth the 30 points FireSafe gives it.
Disregarding those three items, I’m under 30 points, and that will have to do. I’m depending on our average annual rainfall of 146 centimetres to protect me. Mind you, last year we only got 87…
The Bottom Line: Psychology and Education
The major element the government statisticians cannot include is psychology. The “you have ten minutes to get ready and leave” situation should never catch anyone unawares, and hopefully the people of the province are beginning to learn this. Until Lytton burned, the attitude was “That won’t happen.” Now all we have to battle is “That won’t happen to me.”
If you live in the interior and are having record temperatures, you must have a “Grab-and-Go” bag and a “When You Leave” list like the FireSafe website displays. You should know the evacuation routes, have the proper data posted.
And if possible, you should be monitoring the media and taking the earlier steps…well…earlier.
The more people are thinking and talking about this, the safer we will all be.
Which is why I’m posting this. I don’t pretend to have the solutions. I want to stir up conversation. Talk to your family and friends. Do your research. Be prepared.