Pilot Project in Alberta, B.C. Helps Homeowners Prepare as Wildfires Approach

Toronto-based Intact Financial has launched a pilot project to help its property insurance customers in Alberta and British Columbia protect themselves from risk and damage when a wildfire is less than five kilometres of their home.

The “loss prevention and suppression services” available through Wildfire Defense Systems (WDS), a consulting and risk intervention firm in Bozeman, Montana, include removing flammable items from around the property, covering exterior vents and closing exterior doors, windows, and garage doors to keep embers from getting inside, and setting up temporary sprinkler systems to combat heat and humidity, Intact said in a release earlier this month.

“In 2023, Albertans and British Columbians experienced a wildfire season of unprecedented scale,” said Luisa Currie, senior vice president West at Intact. With a warm, dry winter pointing toward a “more explosive” summer of fires this. year, the pilot project will deploy retired firefighters and other trained professionals to policy-holders’ homes when a fire is near. Then afterwards, they’ll “attempt to return to the homes to place items back that were moved, remove sprinklers, and confirm there is no continuing threat,” the Globe and Mail writes.

“Last year, the wildfire season in Alberta and British Columbia was very intense, and the very warm and dry winter we had this year is conducive to what could be another challenging wildfire season,” Intact senior vice-president of personal lines Guillaume Lamy told the Globe. “We think weather losses could increase by 50% by 2040, and wildfires in Western Canada specifically are going to be more frequent and more violent.”

In 2022, the Canadian Climate Institute projected that Canadian households will face $25 billion in annual losses due to climate change by 2025, rising to $78 to $101 billion by 2050, depending on future greenhouse gas emissions.

WDS has responded to more than 1,300 wildfires in 22 U.S. states in the 16 years it’s been in operation, always working as a supplement to efforts by wildfire responders and local authorities, Intact Financial states. But even with the added support, the release stresses that there are no guarantees.

“While best efforts will be made, wildfires are unpredictable and WDS cannot guarantee that homes will be serviced or that their actions can fully prevent homes from being damaged by wildfire,” Intact says.

The Globe says the pilot project will cover the majority of homes in B.C. and Alberta. In B.C., it’s available south of the 56th parallel, south of Fort St. John but north of Dawson Creek. In Alberta, the cut-off extends to the 57th parallel to take in Fort McMurray, which was devastated by the wildfire known as The Beast in 2016.