Wildfires are an unpredictable threat to the safety of both urban areas and wildland, and innovative tools are needed to meet the challenges these fires present. Using forward-thinking software programs to analyse information and facilitate appropriate actions, effective risk assessment of wildfires can provide increased protection for both urban communities and wildland areas.

Coastal Resource Mapping Limited (CRM Ltd.) created the FireSmart: Wildfire Risk Assessment Application to streamline the tasks of Fire Prevention Officers and automate many of the processes involved.

Based on the BC Provincial Government’s Wildfire Program, our application connects the facilitation of risk assessment and organization of crew and station assignments together with interactive management, mapping and data collection. Our application streamlines all aspects of wildfire analysis to provide instant access to vital information and tools, reducing risks and enhancing the safety of the wildland-urban landscape.

The FireSmart Application consists of three main components which work together seamlessly within the application: the Manager component, the Map View component, and the Client Forms component.

Manager: This web-based administrative tool allows managers and staff to plan, implement and review assessment operations. A variety of easy-to-use tools help to organize crew and station assignments, risk and hazard statistics and provide colour-coded risk reporting – all synchronized in real-time. Manager can be accessed from any internet service and easily links to any SQL Server database management system.

Map View: This web-accessible Geographic Information System (GIS) is an interactive situational awareness tool that synchronizes the real-time feed of hazard assessments. It provides managers and staff with a common operational picture (COP) of the situation and allows users up-to-the-minute access to visualize, query, analyze, report and print hazard assessments. The Map View uses rich colour-coded symbology and an intuitive interface to offer users an intelligent, interactive product.

Client Forms: This application component provides on-site field personnel with data collection tools to assess new wildfire risks, as well as review existing data. Client Forms give users on-site assessment drop down menus and check boxes, which improves the efficiency of assessments and minimizes the need for additional paperwork. Field Personnel can instantly generate a risk-rating report at a property, print it though an on-site mobile printer, then present the report to the property owner on-site. Client Forms automatically synchronizes with the FireSmart database management system and instantly updates the properties within the database, allowing the Manager and Map View to reflect changes as soon as they are synchronized.

The FireSmart application is designed to run on mobile devices including tablets, ruggedized notebooks and netbooks.