FireSmart Your Home
FireSmart BC is a provincial initiative dedicated to reducing the risk of wildfire damage to homes, communities, and forests. Building wildfire resilience is a shared effort, so we’re here to support you with the tools and resources you need to protect your property and the community you call home.
Do your part this wildfire season.
Wildfire preparedness and response are at their best when we all play our part. Fire professionals and first responders are ready to do their part this wildfire season, but your actions today can support their efforts in the future. By completing FireSmart tasks around your property, you’re doing your part to reduce the risks surrounding your home and strengthen your community’s resilience. Every step, no matter how small, can be the difference when it’s needed most.
It all starts with the FireSmart BC Begins at Home Guide. Click below for actions you can take right now to help FireSmart your home.
FireSmart BC: Begins at Home Guide
FireSmart BC Wildfire Mitigation Program
The FireSmart BC Wildfire Mitigation Program (WMP) was designed to engage residents in voluntary wildfire mitigation activities by offering a professional home assessment with property-specific recommendations.
A Wildfire Mitigation Program Assessment provides residents with:
- An in-depth, on-site assessment conducted by experienced fire professionals.
- An opportunity for property owners to identify mitigation actions unique to their property.
- A detailed follow-up report with customized mitigation actions designed to measurably reduce the wildfire risk to your property.
- An opportunity to earn FireSmart acknowledgement for your mitigation achievements through a certificate. The certificate is given upon successful completion of required mitigation actions and an on-site follow-up inspection.
- A mitigation certification that can be shared with participating insurance providers to showcase mitigation activities and may be eligible for insurance incentives or discounts. Please note: FireSmart does not share the assessment or any details of the assessment with the insurance industry.
- FireSmart Home signage for their property (upon successful completion of required mitigation actions and an on-site follow-up inspection).
Request an Assessment
The home inspection is the next step to take after reviewing the FireSmart Begins at Home Guide or completing the self-assessment scorecard.
Please fill out your information on the FireSmart BC assessment form:
Request an Assessment
FireSmart Green Waste Disposal Bins
The Lake Country Fire Department is helping make it easier for you to take FireSmart action on your property.
Around the community, the LCFD has placed 40-yard green waste disposal bins to save residents the landfill trip and disposal fee for pruning and cutting shrubs and trees in efforts to FireSmart their property.
From April 7, 2025 the green waste disposal bins can be found at:
- 16625 Commonage Road – Fire Station 81
- 11063 Okanagan Centre Road East – Fire Station 71 (3 bins)
- 15570 Kalwood Road – Road end at north end of Pelmewash Parkway near Oyama Rd
- 10247 Sherman Drive (in Copper Hill subdivision)
“We’re really pleased with the uptake from the community in taking FireSmart action and using the green waste bins,” said Deputy Fire Chief Brent Penner. “By making sure there are no contaminants like plastic bags, building materials or debris dumped in the bins, we are able to have the leaves, twigs and branches composted or chipped for use as OgoGrow or other green projects around the community. We’ve got signs on the barricades around the bins so people know what can be disposed of in these special Super Save bins arranged for our FireSmart program.”
By taking steps to reduce fire risks on properties, we are helping change the safety culture of our community and giving our firefighters a better opportunity to defend our homes against wildfire.
Please note that lumber, pallets and other construction materials are not to be included in the FireSmart Green Waste disposal bins provided by LCFD. These type of items contaminate the whole load and make the program unsustainable due to cost and fire department resources needed to clean out the contaminants before the bin is picked up. The bin previously placed on Camp Rd near Jack Seaton Park has been removed due to excessive contamination; and there are now 3 bins at Fire Station 71 for your use.
If you find the green waste bin is full and the door is closed when you arrive to drop off your FireSmart yard waste trimmings, please do not dump them in the parking area around the bin. LCFD is working to have full bins swapped out within 24 hours, so please be patient and come back another day if you find the bin is full and closed. Do not put yourself at risk trying to climb over the side of the bin to move things around and get your green waste items into a full bin.
Please fill your own green waste bin at home first with all the small trimmings and then load up the bits of your cedars and junipers that you've removed in FireSmarting your property.
Landscapers: this program is for Lake Country residential property owners only, and not for commercial operations. Thank you for helping to make this important program sustainable.
