On January 28, 2026, Woodlands County and the Town of Whitecourt are hosting an information session to show residents how to use a new provincial checklist to protect their homes from wildfires in Whitecourt, Alberta. The session explains how neighbourhoods can use the FireSmart Alberta Community Scorecard to measure how ready they are for a fire and what steps they need to take next.
The scorecard was developed by the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation in partnership with FireSmart Alberta to help towns track their safety across 10 assessment areas, such as vegetation management and public education. The tool helps local leaders and homeowners identify specific weaknesses in their neighbourhoods ahead of the 2026 wildfire season.
Local officials are encouraging neighbours to work together to form committees so they can pursue Neighbourhood Recognition under the FireSmart program. The Research Dossier notes that groups that participate can apply for $500 community incentive grants to help pay for local cleanup projects and property-level protection.
This push for better fire safety follows recent municipal budget decisions that allocated funding for regional fire training and equipment. Woodlands County’s interim 2026 budget included a motion to carry $14,000 for fire training, and the Whitecourt Fire Department’s Tower 1 aerial pumper is documented as serving Woodlands County in 2026. The region has also secured a Regional Community FireSmart Coordinator (a position for which a $200,000 FRIAA grant was sought) to support Whitecourt, Woodlands County, Fox Creek and Swan Hills in organizing local mitigation and outreach.
