Albertans do not need convincing that wildfire risk is real. Fort McMurray in 2016 remains the costliest insured disaster in Canadian history, with insured losses around four billion dollars. Jasper burned in 2024. Every spring since, smoke in the air has become as familiar as the first snowfall.
What many households have not done is translate that awareness into preparation. The good news: most of what actually protects a property costs little and can be done in a weekend. Here is a practical way to think it through.
Harden the home zone first
Fire scientists talk about the "home ignition zone," the first 10 to 30 metres around your house. Most homes lost to wildfire are not overrun by a wall of flame. They ignite from embers that can travel more than a kilometre ahead of the fire. That is why the small stuff matters so much:
- Clear the first 1.5 metres. Keep the strip immediately against your foundation free of bark mulch, dry plants, firewood, and stored items. Gravel or stone beats mulch here.
- Clean gutters and roof valleys. Dry needles and leaves in a gutter are an ember's favourite landing pad.
- Screen the vents. Fine metal mesh (3 mm) over soffit and attic vents keeps embers out of the one place you cannot see them smoulder.
- Move the woodpile. At least 10 metres from any structure. Same for fuel cans and propane cylinders.
- Limb up the conifers. Prune branches within two metres of the ground and remove any that overhang the roof.
FireSmart Alberta publishes an excellent free assessment you can run on your own property in an afternoon.
Build the family plan
When an evacuation order comes, it comes fast. Households that have decided things in advance move calmly. Households that have not lose precious time. Decide now:
- Where you would go, in two directions. Fires do not respect your preferred highway.
- What goes in the vehicle: medications, documents, hard drives, pet supplies, a change of clothes. Keep a written list, because clear thinking is scarce at 2 a.m.
- Who your out-of-area contact is so family members can check in through one person if networks are jammed.
Do the ten-minute insurance inventory
Here is the step almost everyone skips, and the one that pays off most at claim time. Walk through your home with your phone and record a video of every room. Open the closets. Open the drawers. Pan the garage, the shed, and anything of value. Store the video in the cloud, not just on the phone.
After a total loss, you will be asked to list everything you owned. From memory, under stress, months later. A ten-minute video turns that nightmare into a checklist.
Know what your policy actually does in a wildfire
A few things Alberta homeowners should understand before the season peaks:
- Fire is a covered peril on virtually every home policy, including wildfire. The question is rarely whether you are covered. It is whether your limits are adequate.
- Guaranteed replacement cost matters. After a major fire, construction costs in the affected region spike. If your policy includes guaranteed or extended replacement cost, the insurer rebuilds even if costs exceed your limit. If it does not, the limit is the ceiling. Ask which one you have.
- Mass evacuation coverage is real. Most home policies cover additional living expenses when authorities order an evacuation, typically for a set number of weeks. Keep receipts for hotels, meals, and fuel.
- Binding restrictions arrive with the smoke. When a wildfire is active near a community, insurers temporarily stop writing new policies or increasing coverage in the area. The time to review coverage with a licensed broker is before the season, not during the emergency.
- Outbuildings and landscaping have sub-limits. Shops, fences, and trees are usually covered at a percentage of the dwelling limit. Acreage owners with large shops should check the numbers, not assume.
For business owners and acreage operators
Commercial policies raise the same questions with higher stakes. Whether business interruption coverage includes civil authority wording, which responds when an evacuation order shuts a business down even if the building never burns, is a question for a licensed broker. Farms and acreages have their own review points, such as equipment stored in the open and the distance between fuel storage and structures.
A note on premiums
Wildfire losses across Western Canada are one of the reasons property premiums have been rising. Insurers increasingly look at community-level risk. Some now offer discounts or preferred terms for FireSmart-aligned properties. Documenting the work you do around your home is not just good practice; it is increasingly good economics.
Before the next smoky week
Preparation beats reaction, in fire behaviour and in insurance. If you have not looked at your dwelling limit, your replacement cost wording, or your evacuation coverage since you bought the policy, this is the season to bring those questions to a licensed MyBrokers broker. Start a home quote and have it reviewed before the sirens, not after.