Fire-resistant material installations for community facility resilience
Guidance, costing and examples for municipalities
CLIMATE ADAPTATION
Fire-resistant retrofits cut ignition pathways, buying time for buildings and people during fires. Replacing vulnerable components within the building envelope and surrounding structures (roofs, siding, vents, decks, fences) with fire-resistant assemblies reduces ember entry and direct flame contact, primary causes of structure loss in wildland–urban interface fires.
For small and rural communities who face longer response times to wildfires and limited capacity in emergency response, targeted material upgrades are a fast, effective way to lower risks for priority facilities.
This guidance outlines key steps, best practices, costing information and case studies to help municipalities plan and deliver fire-resistant material installation projects.
Key steps for successful implementation
- Identify priority buildings and zones: Start with community-serving sites such as clinics, community centres and libraries, and a non-combustible zone of 0–1.5 metres at foundations, decks and attachments.
- Select compliant materials: Use non-combustible or class-A rated assemblies for roofing, siding, soffits, vents and decks (e.g., metal or class-A shingles; stucco/brick/fibre-cement; metal vents with three millimetres of screening mesh)
- Detail for ember resistance: Enclose deck undersides, screen vents and openings, block soffits/fascia, and remove combustible mulch that is against walls
- Permit, procure and stage works: Align with local and national guidelines1; bundle small scopes of work, such as roofs and vents, to reduce mobilization costs
- Inspect and maintain: Schedule annual checks of sealants, screens and flashings; keep zones clear of fine fuels
Best practices for design and delivery
- Pick proven assemblies: Favour stucco, brick or fibre-cement siding; metal or class-A roof shingles; non-combustible fascia/soffits; metal vents with three millimetres of screening mesh; and fire-rated decking or enclosed deck bases
- Design for affordability and upkeep: Choose readily available, code-recognized products (e.g., fibre-cement, metal) and simple details that crews can easily maintain
- Use municipal lists/templates: Access regional or provincial templates (e.g., via CanadaBuys2 or InfraGuide3) or document current project practices to build internal reference tools
Equity and community considerations
- Prioritize facilities serving those most at-risk during emergencies: Retrofit public buildings such as clinics and social housing; upgrades like fire-resistant roofs, vents and siding can help these facilities function as clean air/warm air/cool air refuges during emergencies
- Pair retrofits with public education: Use retrofit projects as opportunities to raise awareness about wildfire risks and the role of resilient infrastructure
- Build local capacity: Where possible, engage local vendors and offer training to support workforce development and economic resilience
Costing and budgeting information
Fire-resistant material installation can cost $30–$400 per square metre of building envelope, depending on building type, material selection and retrofit complexity.
Typical cost drivers include the following: permits/inspections (Wildfire DPA/bylaw compliance); mobilization for remote sites; disposal of old materials; and post-retrofit maintenance.
To help reduce overall costs:
- Treat the highest-risk areas first (the first 0–10 metres around buildings), expanding as funds allow
- Standardize specs and buy in bulk by coordinating purchases across departments and projects
- Leverage in-house staff and volunteers for light work such as clearing vegetation around buildings, installing ember-resistant vent screens or painting fire-resistant coatings (tasks that can be completed through supervised community work bees or maintenance days)
- Share or rent equipment like chippers or brush cutters with neighbours
- Book shoulder-season vendor rates and use municipal materials lists to streamline procurement
Case studies and lessons learned
- Bylaw-driven wildfire resilience through design standards (Nelson, BC, 2022)
The City of Nelson adopted wildfire design guidelines based on FireSmart principles, requiring a non-combustible 0–1.5 metre zone around buildings and prescribing fire-resistant materials in the 1.5–10 metre zone. These standards are tied directly to development approvals, streamlining compliance and embedding wildfire resilience into everyday municipal planning.
Lesson learned: Clear, enforceable municipal standards make consistent fire-resistant retrofits feasible at scale and reduce case-by-case negotiation.
- Post-fire analysis to guide fire-resistant retrofits and detailing (Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, AB, 2019)
Following the Fort McMurray wildfire, post-fire analysis by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction revealed that homes with ignition-resistant roofs and cladding were more likely to survive. However, many losses were traced to vulnerable attachments, such as vents, soffits, decks, fences and nearby vegetation. This highlighted the importance of whole-building detailing.
Lesson learned: For small communities, upgrading headline materials like roofing is not enough. Addressing edge conditions and interfaces (e.g., vents, decks, fences) is also important to reduce ignition pathways and improve building survivability.
- Locally produced hemp blocks offer fire and moisture resilience with economic co-benefits (Elk Point, AB, 2025)
Asinikahtamwak, a company majority-owned by Frog Lake First Nation, produces hemp–cement blocks that are lighter than cinder blocks and resistant to mold and fire. For small communities, locally produced blocks can cut transport costs and provide culturally aligned, lower-carbon materials for community facilities.
Lesson learned: Emerging bio-based masonry can pair resilience in both fire and moisture performance with economic co-benefits, especially when supply chains are regional and culturally grounded.
*Note: The case studies included on this page are for informational purposes and were not supported by the Green Municipal Fund.
Additional resources
National guide for wildland–urban interface fires (National Research Council of Canada) – This resource offers technical guidance on hazard/exposure assessment and property protection. It also discusses the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes’ role in updating these codes to ensure they meet the evolving needs of safety, energy efficiency and environmental considerations in the building sector.
Home development guide (FireSmart) – This guide outlines materials and assembly guidance for roofs, siding, decks and vents with practical diagrams. It also highlights community-level planning and preparedness, encouraging neighbourhoods to collaborate and mitigate wildfire threats. Although the guide focuses on residential properties, similar principles and approaches apply to community facilities.
Construction and landscaping checklists (FireSmart BC and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction) – These checklists provide guidance for builders, developers and planners to create homes and communities that are more resilient to wildland fires by following best practices in site planning, architectural design, materials selection and landscaping. Examples include product characteristics, test standards and detailing tips.
FireSmart materials list (City of Nelson) – This is a list of pre-vetted local materials for less-flammable construction. Practical, actionable strategies for enhancing community and individual home resilience, including considerations for plants, construction materials and general property maintenance are also discussed.
Explore more community facilities resilience activities
Learn about other community facilities resilience project types and how they can support your community:
Return to the Resilient Community Facilities Toolkit for Municipalities
Related toolkits
GMF offers additional toolkits to support municipalities facing different climate risks.
Glossary
Wildland–urban interface (WUI): The zone where human development meets or intermingles with wildland vegetation, often at high wildfire risk
Fire-resistant assemblies: Building components (e.g., roofs, siding) designed to withstand ignition from embers or flames
Non-combustible zone: A defensible space (typically 0–1.5 metres around buildings) cleared of flammable materials to reduce fire risk
Class-A rated materials: Building products tested and certified to offer the highest level of fire resistance
Ember resistance: Design features that prevent wind-driven embers from entering or igniting structures
FireSmart: A Canadian program offering guidelines and best practices for wildfire resilience in communities
Soffits: Architectural features that require screening or sealing to prevent ember intrusion
Mobilization costs: Expenses related to transporting materials, equipment and labour to remote or rural retrofit sites
Bio-based masonry: Sustainable building materials (e.g., hemp–cement blocks) offering fire and moisture resistance
Priority Zone 1a: The critical area within 0–1.5 metres of a structure, prioritized for fire-resistant upgrades
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