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Fire-Smarting Your Home and Yard: A Practical Checklist for Canmore Homeowners

Living in Canmore has many privileges, but the greatest one has to be the direct access to the mountains for hiking, skiing, biking, paddleboarding, and more. There are few places in the world that have access to the landscape as we do. 

But having that access also means we are more exposed to nature’s elements, particularly fire. Alberta has experienced many traumatic and devastating forest fires over the last few years, with the most recent in Jasper in 2024.

Fire-smarting your home and yard isn’t about total prevention of losing your home to a fire. It’s about taking practical, manageable steps to reduce risk, protect what you’ve built, and make your property more resilient over time. And for many homeowners, those steps also lead to something to a cleaner, more intentional exterior that feels well cared for.

If you’ve been meaning to make your property safer but aren’t sure where to begin, this checklist is a good place to start.

What “FireSmart” Means

FireSmart is about reducing the chance that your home could ignite from embers, radiant heat, or nearby flames.

In Canmore, where mountain homes often include evergreen landscaping, wood features, decks, sheds, and naturalized yards, it’s in the small details we have to pay attention to. Needles in the gutters, bark mulch beside the house, stacked firewood against a wall, or dry debris under a deck may not seem urgent day to day, but they can all add risk.

Homeowner FireSmart Checklist

At the change of every season, you should complete a walk-around of your property and complete the following steps.

1. Check the first few feet around your home

Start with the area right beside the house, garage, deck, and any attached structures. The goal is to keep the area closest to the home as clean and non-combustible as possible.

Look For And Address:

  • Dry leaves, pine needles, and debris collecting along the foundation
  • Bark mulch or other combustible ground cover next to the home
  • Firewood, lumber, or stored materials stacked against exterior walls
  • Debris gathering under stairs, decks, or porches
  • Outdoor cushions, mats, or décor left in place during hot, dry periods
  • Anything combustible touching siding, skirting, or railings

2. Clean Your Roof, Gutters, And Hidden Corners

Wind-blown embers often find the places homeowners don’t look at every day. The goal of cleaning these hidden areas is to reduce the amount of fine, dry fuel that could catch easily.

  • Clear gutters regularly during spring, summer, and fall
  • Remove needles and leaves from the roof
  • Inspect roof valleys and corners where debris tends to collect
  • Check behind planters, patio furniture, sheds, and storage bins
  • Look along fence lines where dry material can build up

3. Reassess What You Store Outside

Storage is one of the easiest places to reduce fire risk. By creating more separation between your home and combustible materials, you can reduce your overall risk of fire.

  • Is firewood stored too close to the house?
  • Are propane tanks placed appropriately and safely?
  • Is spare lumber, cardboard, or yard waste sitting against a wall?
  • Are garbage or recycling bins tucked against the home when they could sit farther away?
  • Are doormats, broom heads, or stored furniture creating unnecessary fuel near entrances?

4. Maintain Your Lawn, Trees, And Planting Beds

A beautiful yard isn’t just for curb appeal. Creating a FireSmart yard is less about stripping away character and more about thoughtful maintenance.

  • Mow grass and keep it from getting overly dry or overgrown
  • Remove dead branches, dead shrubs, and dried plant material
  • Prune low branches where appropriate
  • Space out dense plantings if they’re clustered too tightly near the home
  • Clean up fallen needles and leaves from planting beds
  • Consider whether any highly combustible plants or materials are too close to windows, decks, or doors

5. Inspect Decks, Fences, And Outbuildings

These features often connect directly to the home visually and physically, so they deserve extra attention. But an older outbuilding can increase your primary home’s risk if not taken care of properly.

Check:

  • Whether debris is collecting under the deck
  • Whether items are being stored beneath stairs or elevated structures
  • Whether fencing connects directly to the house without a non-combustible break
  • Whether sheds or small outbuildings are surrounded by dry grass or clutter
  • Whether exterior wood features need cleanup or maintenance

6. Make Seasonal Maintenance A Habit

Unfortunately, being FireSmart isn’t a one-time deal. As all homeowners come to understand, maintenance is about routine (and it’s never done!) The following are simple checklists you can follow for each season. 

Spring Checklist:

  • Clear winter debris from around the home
  • Inspect landscaping and remove dead material
  • Clean gutters and rooflines
  • Inspect outdoor storage areas

Summer Checklist:

  • Keep grass cut and tidy
  • Monitor dry conditions around decks and planting beds
  • Remove buildup in shaded corners and under structures
  • Stay on top of weeds, needles, and deadfall 

Fall Checklist:

  • Clear leaves from gutters, roofs, and yards
  • Cut back dying annuals and dead growth
  • Tidy up wood piles and outdoor storage before winter
  • Do one final exterior walk-around before snow arrives

A FireSmart Checklist for Second-home Owners

If your Canmore property is not your full-time residence, regular maintenance matters even more. When a home sits empty for periods of time, small issues can pile up unnoticed. If you own a second home in Canmore, ensure to:

  • Arrange regular exterior check-ins during wildfire season if you’re unable to do it yourself
  • Have someone clear debris, mow grass, and monitor storage areas
  • Make sure emergency contacts and service providers are easy to reach
  • Schedule a walk-around before and after longer periods away

Being FireSmart is Good for Sellers

FireSmart improvements aren’t only about safety. They also help improve the presentation of your property if you plan to sell. 

A home that shows clean exterior care tends to feel more polished and more valuable to buyers. Clean landscaping, tidy storage, maintained outdoor spaces, and visible attention to detail all reinforce that the home has been taken care of. This kind of preparation is especially worthwhile before listing photos, staging, or showings begin.

In Canmore, buyers are often purchasing more than a property. They’re buying into the Canmore lifestyle, and the last thing they want is to take on a project when they could be exploring the backcountry.

Start Small, Then Build From There

Start with the highest-impact areas:

  1. Clear debris close to the house
  2. Move combustible materials away from exterior walls
  3. Clean gutters and rooflines
  4. Tidy under decks and around structures
  5. Create a seasonal routine  

Being FireSmart is a practical way to protect your property, support your neighbourhood, and take care of the place you call home. And in many cases, it also leaves your exterior looking cleaner and more intentional.

If you’re preparing your property for the season—or thinking ahead to a future sale—I’m always happy to offer guidance on the updates that improve your home’s presentation and safety.