EDMONTON, AB, Nov. 5, 2020 /CNW/ - Canadians in all provinces and territories are encouraged to apply for $500 to complete a Wildfire Community Preparedness Day project to help make their neighbourhoods more resilient to wildfire.
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a national program supported by FireSmart Canada in collaboration with The Co-operators, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR).
Individuals, fire departments, organizations, community groups and municipalities are invited to submit applications to receive $500 for projects to help protect their neighbourhoods from wildfire. Projects can range from clean-up blitzes to awareness campaigns.
Managing wildfire risk is a shared responsibility, and it's critical that individual property owners and groups of neighbours take action to build resilience to wildfire, says FireSmart Canada executive director Ray Ault.
"FireSmart Canada is committed to helping homeowners and neighbourhoods understand how they can work together to become more resilient to wildfire," Ault says.
"We hope to receive applications from homeowners and neighbourhoods in every province and territory, and for award recipients to further engage their communities in FireSmart activities and programs."
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day events help people understand the importance of protecting their properties by creating non-combustible zones around their homes. Research shows that embers from wildfires can ignite vegetation or material around homes, leading to structure fires and devastating property loss. Simple tasks such as clearing debris from under decks and using wildfire-resilient landscaping can help prevent a potential tragedy.
Since 2014, FireSmart Canada and its partners have provided more than 450 awards to Canadians from coast to coast to help drive efforts to mitigate the impact of wildfires across Canada.
"Recent wildfires have shown that Canadian communities are vulnerable to devastating loss," says Maya Milardovic, AVP of Government Relations, The Co-operators. "Through funding events and awareness focused on wildfire resiliency and loss prevention, communities can take proactive steps to reduce their wildfire risk." Applications for $500 awards can be submitted now through Jan. 15, 2021.
Successful applicants can use the $500 award from May 2 through Oct. 31, 2021, to host Wildfire Community Preparedness Day events that raise awareness of wildfire risk, help protect homes, and encourage neighbourhoods to improve wildfire resiliency through FireSmart activities.
To learn more about Wildfire Community Preparedness Day and to submit an application for funding, visit https://firesmartcanada.ca/programs-and-education/wildfire-community-preparedness-day-2021/
About FireSmart Canada
FireSmart Canada is the national program committed to helping Canadians reduce their wildfire risk and become fire adapted through community-based solutions. Through publications, programs, outreach training, and workshops, FireSmart Canada provides tools for Canadians to proactively reduce the risk of wildfire to their homes and communities. FireSmart programs and products are supported through active support from organizations such as the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, the National Fire Protection Association and The Co-operators. Visit www.firesmartcanada.ca.
About The Co-operators:
The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian co-operative with more than $53.3 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies, it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is ranked as a Corporate Knights' Best 50 Corporate Citizen in Canada and listed among the Best Employers in Canada by Kincentric (formerly AON). For more information, visit www.cooperators.ca.
About NFPA
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a global non-profit organization, established in 1896, devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. NFPA delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy, and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering our mission to save lives and reduce loss with information, knowledge and passion. Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is based on or adapted from materials provided and owned by the National Fire Protection Association., Visit www.nfpa.org.
About ICLR
Established in 1998 by Canada's property and casualty insurers, ICLR is an independent, not-for-profit research institute based in Toronto and at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. ICLR is a centre of excellence for disaster loss prevention research and education. ICLR's research staff is internationally recognized for pioneering work in a number of fields including wind and seismic engineering, atmospheric sciences, water resources engineering and economics. Multi-disciplined research is a foundation for ICLR's work to build communities more resilient to disasters. Visit www.iclr.org
SOURCE FireSmart Canada
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