GUELPH, ON, Nov. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - Applications are now open for communities across Canada to apply for the Wildfire Community Preparedness Day award. Wildfire Community Preparedness Day ("Prep Day") is a national campaign that encourages citizens to take actions that increase their home, neighbourhood, and community's resilience to wildfire.

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is always observed on the first Saturday in May. In 2025, it will take place on Saturday, May 3. Residents of all ages, all over the country, are encouraged to come together on that day or at any time from May to October to host events and work on projects that raise awareness of wildfire risk and increase their resilience to it.

Between now and January 31, 2025, groups can apply for a $500 award to help fund their Prep Day events. FireSmart™ Canada, in collaboration with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), Co-operators, and Canadian provincial and territorial wildfire agencies support this annual event by offering a $500 award, a kit of promotional materials, and FireSmart Canada resources.

In 2024, FireSmart Canada awarded more recipients than ever before with 378 communities from 10 provinces and two territories.

"On behalf of FireSmart Canada, we want to sincerely thank and recognize the major contributions of our provincial, territorial, and federal partners. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today," said Lisa Walker, Director of Resiliency and Partnerships with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. "We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to our colleagues at Cooperators and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction for consistently supporting Wildfire Community Preparedness Day initiatives, year-round. It takes a community to increase wildfire awareness and resilience. We hope that our 10-year anniversary is bigger than ever with more applications, coast-to-coast-to-coast."

"We're thrilled to be celebrating 10 years of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day," said Maya Milardovic, associate vice-president of government relations for Co-operators. "When we launched in 2015, we awarded 24 communities, and in 2024, we awarded 378 communities. With every year, communities are gaining a greater understanding of the importance of building wildfire resiliency.  From the beginning, Co-operators has been proud to partner with FireSmart Canada to build awareness around wildfire risk mitigation."

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a call to action for all. Families, individuals, and community groups are urged to participate and learn more about FireSmart principles to better prepare themselves and their communities. Wildfire Community Preparedness Day began in the United States and was developed by the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA), with which FireSmart Canada works on this and other initiatives.

To apply, or to learn more about Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, visit: https://firesmartcanada.ca/programs/wildfire-community-preparedness-day/

To learn more about wildfire resilience and FireSmart Canada, visit: www.firesmartcanada.ca

Media contact:
Alexandria Jones
A/Communications Manager
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (FireSmart Canada)
media@firesmartcanada.ca 

Co-operators Media Relations:
media@cooperators.ca 

SOURCE The Co-operators Group Limited