Farm and Acreage Preparedness for Wildfires

1. Know the Risks

Is your property located in or next to a forested area?
Does your land have large dry grasslands nearby?
Is it practical to evacuate your animals should the need arise?

Recently in Alberta, wildfires in both of these situations have resulted in farm buildings and animals being lost from fires that started nearby and were then blown by winds onto neighbouring farms and acreages.

So watch out for high fire risk conditions:

1. Dry conditions, especially in the spring before the grass and leaves come out. But also later in the summer as the weather dries things out.
2. Windy days, because the high winds increase the fire risk in addition to helping any fire that does get started move quickly through the forest or grassland.

1. Shelter in Place – soak down the area around your yard and create a fire break around your yard and animals.
2. Plan to Evacuate – with sufficient time and preparation you could evacuate your family and animals to a safe area until the risk is gone.
3. Release your animals – If you have little or no warning, you can open your gates/doors to give your animals a chance to find safety on their own while you evacuate yourself and your family.

• FireSmart your yard – see the homeowners FireSmart manual at
  http://wildfire.alberta.ca/fire-smart/documents/FireSmart-HomeOwnersManual-Jun2015.pdf
• Have a fire extinguisher, tools and water available to use for fighting any small fires that start in your yard.
• Make sure that everyone who lives/works on your farm knows what to do should a fire threaten your place
• Identify a source of water that can be used as an emergency water supply for fire fighters or as a place you can chase you animals to if you must evacuate.
• Follow the instructions of your municipality, first responders or Wildland fire fighters when faced with an emergency situation.