If you’re worried about the threat of a wildfire to your home and neighbourhood, you can now apply for five-hundred dollars to create an awareness project about how to prevent such fires.

The money is to be used for a Wildfire Community Preparedness Day project that will help make the place you live more resilient to wildfire.

Individuals, fire departments, organizations, community groups, and municipalities are invited to submit applications to receive $500 for projects, which can range from clean-up blitzes to awareness campaigns.

FireSmart Canada executive director Ray Ault says managing wildfire risk is a shared responsibility, and it’s critical that individual property owners and groups of neighbours take action to build resilience.

“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.”

Ault says FireSmart Canada is committed to helping homeowners understand how they can work together to become more resilient to wildfire.

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day events promote an understanding of the importance of protecting homes and properties by creating non-combustible zones.

Clearing debris from under decks and using wildfire-resilient landscaping can help prevent a potential tragedy.

Research shows that embers from wildfires can ignite vegetation or material around homes, leading to structure fires.

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is supported by FireSmart Canada in collaboration with The Co-operators, the National Fire Protection Association, and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction.

You can apply for a grant on the Firesmart Canada website.