About Wildfire Defense Systems
Wildfire Defense Systems (WDS) https://www.wildfire-defense.com, headquartered in Bozeman Montana, is a Qualified Insurance Resource (QIR) and is the largest provider of wildfire loss intervention services to insured properties in North America. WDS has been providing services to insurance companies and their policyholders for 16 years in the U.S. Through its Emergency Coordination Center, WDS monitors wildfire threats to client properties and dispatches field personnel and wildland engines and tenders to threatened properties. These field personnel are trained to National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) standards and engines and tenders they operate are built and maintained to NWCG specifications.
WDS is deployed when customer properties are at increased risk for wildfire activity. If a wildfire is within approximately 5 km of a customer’s home, or an evacuation order is in place, WDS will make every effort to attend to homes. There is no guarantee that WDS will be able to provide service to all properties and structures in the area.
In addition to loss prevention and mitigation services, WDS may remove combustibles such as outdoor furniture, firewood, pine needles, dead leaves and/or similar items within five feet of the property. WDS may also provide:
- Fuel course mitigation to prevent wildfire from reaching properties by strategically digging a handline or placing retardants to create fuel breaks.
- Application of vent tape, fire blocking gel and/or fire retardant, and/or closing of structure openings, such as exterior doors, windows, and garages to prevent ember intrusion.
- WDS may also check gutters and decks to remove items like pine needles and dead leaves.
The partnership between Servus Insurance Services | Home and Auto and WDS is the first residential service of its kind in Canada. While WDS has many insurance clients across 22 states in the U.S., this is the first time they will enter the residential landscape in Canada.
About the Wildfire Defense Systems service
For the 2024 wildfire season only, eligible customers in British Columbia and Alberta are provided added protection and peace of mind when it is needed most through Wildfire Defense Systems. The service is automatically included with all eligible property policies at no additional cost.
If your property is threatened by an active wildfire (within approximately 5 km of your home or in an evacuation area), WDS field personnel* will provide mitigation and structural protection services to your property. This may include but is not limited to:
- Removing materials from around your property that may fuel a fire, including firewood, propane tanks, furniture, grass clippings, etc.
- Covering exterior vents and closing exterior doors, windows and garage doors to prevent embers from entering the home and igniting the interior. This is important because most structure loss comes from ember intrusion.
- Setting up temporary sprinkler systems to increase humidity and lower temperature.
In rare situations, WDS may apply a fire-blocking gel or fire-retardant barrier to your home and surrounding landscaping.
Once the threat of wildfire is gone, WDS will return to your property to place items back in their original location and remove any tape, fire-blocking gel or fire-retardant barrier that was applied to the house.
Please note that WDS is not a first responder service and is supplemental to all other public wildfire responders.
WDS will work with local authorities in your area to safely access your property, however as wildfires are unpredictable there is no guarantee that your home will be serviced in the event it is threatened by an active wildfire.
*WDS provides field personnel trained and certified to the standards of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) in the United States, operating wildfire engines and tenders built and operated to NWCG specifications.
The Wildfire Defense Systems service is automatically included for eligible personal lines property customers for the 2024 wildfire season. It is included free of charge for customers - the fees for this service are 100% covered by Servus Insurance Services | Home and Auto. Any costs will not be factored into premium costs for customers during the pilot, nor will it impact your premium at renewal.
For more information on how your premium is calculated, please click here:https://servus-homeauto.ca/faq
For the 2024 wildfire season, we’re offering this service to residential policy holders with homeowners (primary and secondary), seasonal and rented dwelling policies located in Alberta and British Columbia. Condominiums, tenants and mobile homes are excluded. In Alberta, the service area includes the 57th parallel and under including Fort McMurray. In BC the service area includes the 56th parallel and under (excluding Vancouver Island and other ferry access locations). Please see the map below.
If you have more than one location insured with Servus Insurance Services | Home and Auto, please check your coverage summary in your insurance policy documents to confirm whether all of your properties are eligible.
Map of BC and Alberta showing included and excluded service areas.
Servus Insurance Services | Home and Auto is partnering with Wildfire Defense Systems to offer customers who live in wildfire risk areas a service that can provide peace of mind when it is needed most. We have witnessed firsthand the hardship customers have endured facing extreme weather events. We are focused on building resilient communities, and helping customers adapt to the impacts of climate change.
WDS will make every reasonable effort to help protect your home from wildfire. However, as wildfires are unpredictable there is no guarantee that your home will be serviced in the event it is threatened by an active wildfire, or that the work completed will save your home from wildfire damage.
This service is offered as a pilot for the 2024 wildfire season in British Columbia and Alberta. It is offered only for personal property policies.
Yes, your property policy continues to cover everything it did before. The Wildfire Defense Systems service provides additional peace of mind to customers in wildfire areas, but it is not mandatory.
WDS is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana in the US. In Canada, the service is available to our eligible customers in Alberta and British Columbia only.
Due to the unpredictable nature of a wildfire, customers will not be contacted prior to WDS servicing their property. If the customer is at home at the time of WDS’ arrival on the property, WDS field personnel will attempt to speak to the homeowner prior to initiating service. If no one is home, they will proceed with servicing the property and leave a door hanger to explain the service provided.
If there are no locked gates/entry points, WDS will access your property and complete their services. If a property is inaccessible due to a locked gate or barrier, services will not be be performed.
In most cases, WDS only moves combustible items away from your home, but items remain on your property. If you return home and are missing items, please contact us at 1-833-316-3824.
A notice in the form of a door hanger will be left at your property if WDS completed any services. If you are unsure if service was provided, please contact us at 1-833-316-3824.
We will cover the costs to repair any damage unintentionally caused by this service. This will not impact your policy and/or premium. Customers can submit a claim by calling 1-888-732-1494. We are available to help 24/7.
No, this service only applies to wildfires.
In rare situations, WDS may apply a fire-blocking gel or fire-retardant barrier to your home and surrounding landscaping. For more information about these products, please visit: https://www.wildfire-defense.com/questions
Once the threat of wildfire is gone, WDS will return to your home to clean up and remove any fire blocking gel or fire-retardant barrier from your home. However, based on weather conditions and availability, there may be some instances where this is completed after you return home.
If WDS has not returned to your property to clean up and remove the fire blocking gel or fire-retardant barrier that have been applied, please contact us at 1-833-316-3824.
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