Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan

Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan 

Coquitlam has developed a comprehensive plan to protect public and private properties from fires in forests, parks and green spaces. Building on Coquitlam’s existing wildfire prevention work, the Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan outlines dozens of actions aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving the City’s response and recovery if fires do occur.

Plan Based on FireSmart Principles 

Coquitlam began its wildfire plan update after receiving a $50,000 grant in February 2021 through the provincial Community Resilience Investment Program, in the FireSmart™ Community Funding and Supports category. Administered through the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, the grant funds community wildfire planning based on the seven FireSmart principles – education, legislation and planning, development considerations, interagency cooperation, emergency planning and vegetation. 

The Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan includes 43 specific, prioritized recommendations with timeframes, measures for success and estimated costs focused on:

• Continuing to educate and engage the community in FireSmart activities, including direct outreach with homes in the wildland interface
• Embedding FireSmart principles into policies, neighbourhood plans and park plans
• Communicating clearly and consistently with stakeholders to ensure a coordinated response to reducing wildfire risk, including sharing resources with adjacent municipalities
• Preparing for wildfires through inter-agency planning and training with BC Wildfire Service, Metro Vancouver, BC Parks and others
• Managing forest fuels in higher-risk locations, including parks and green spaces

Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan

• Acknowledgements 
• Executive Summary 
• Coquitlam's CWRP Action plan 
• Frequently Used Acronyms 
• Section 1: Introduction 
• Section 2: Relationship to Other Plans and Legislation 
• Section 3: Community Description 
• Section 4: Wildfire Risk Assessment 
• Section 5: FireSmart Principles 
• Section 6: Appendices 
  • Appendix A: Local Wildfire Risk Process 
    • Appendix A-1: Fire Risk Threat Assessment Methodology 
    • Appendix A-2: Proximity of Fuel to the Community 
    • Appendix A-3: Fire Spread Patterns
  • Appendix B: Wildfire Threat Assessment Plots – Worksheets and Photos 
  • Appendix C – Maps (Map files are contained within the relevant sections of the document)
  • Appendix D: Wildfire Threat Assessment Plot Locations 
  • Appendix E: Fuel Typing Methodology and Limitations 
  • Appendix F: Fire Risk Threat Assessment Methodology 
  • Appendix G: Vegetation Management – Proposed Treatment Unit (PTU) Maps
  • Appendix H: Glossary of Terms 

Wildland/Urban Interface Fires 

A large portion of Coquitlam is considered Wildland/Urban Interface land, meaning that the forest meets the community in some areas. As a result, it is important to establish and maintain fire-safe homes and practice fire-safe behaviours within our community. Read more about the Wildland/Urban Interface Areas.

Summer Fire Safety 

During the summer season's drier and warmer temperatures, residents need to take steps that can both reduce and limit the risk of fire. This includes adhering to City bylaws that ban open air burning, littering cigarette butts and smoking in parks. Protect yourself, your family and our community this summer by visiting our Summer Fire Safety webpage for tips.