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Rebate Program

The FireSmart rebate provides up to a maximum of $1000 to homeowners living within the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) who conduct FireSmart work on their property. This money may reimburse the cost of materials as well as time spent conducting hazard mitigation work on your property.

Please note that the RDOS FireSmart rebate program may be subject to change and the number of rebates available is limited. Do not rely solely on this rebate to cover costs for your FireSmart initiatives.

To confirm the availability of rebates in your area, please email: firesmart@rdos.bc.ca

Please note that Electoral Area I (Kaleden, Twin Lakes, Green Mountain road, & Farleigh Lake) no longer offers rebates.

Instructional Video, click here

What You Need to Know

Who is eligible for the rebate? And how does it work?

Residents, community associations and strata properties within the RDOS nine electoral areas are eligible to apply.

Eligble work is only for the home owners privately owned property. Right of ways, provincial or crown land is not eligble.
Labour costs will be calculated as 50% of $28.54 per hour up to $1000. The cost per hour is based on the volunteer compensation rate established by FireSmart Canada.
The work must be conducted within the FireSmart Home Ignition Zones, which includes the home and surrounding yard areas (illustrated below) - Immediate Zone, Intermediate Zone and Extended Zone.

Only the FireSmart activities, estimated work hours and associated costs that are recommended in the completed assessment are eligible for the rebate.
Residential property owners can complete the mitigation activities themselves, or hire others to complete the work.
Due to limited funding, homeowners are limited to submitting one rebate application per property.
New for 2024: A free Home Assessment completed by a FireSmart Professional is required in order to be eligible for a FireSmart reabte*

Home Ignition Zone SCREEN

Activities eligible for rebate

In general, the following activities are eligible for rebate:

Roofing: Remove combustible debris and overhanging branches.
Siding: Remove combustible debris, create 15 cm ground-to-siding non-combustible clearance.
Decking: Remove all combustible material from under or adjacent to deck, relocate firewood piles.
Landscaping (Immediate Zone): Ensure 1.5 metre horizontal non-combustible surface perimeter along the outer walls of the primary structure, plant low density of fire-resistant plants, remove woody debris, remove flammable plants.
FireSmart Intermediate Zone: Remove material that would easily ignite, thin and prune trees, clean up accumulations of fallen branches, remove dry grass and needles.

Eligible Activities for FireSmart Rebate

Home or Structure

1	Roof Material Gutters Vents and Openings	Install UL/ASTM fire-rated roofing (metal, clay, asphalt shingles) Install non-combustible gutters and/or gutter covers Remove roof surface tree needles, debris or overhanging branches Install closed eaves and/or non-combustible fire-rated vents or vents with 3 mm screening
2	Building Exterior or Siding	Install ignition resistant (fiber cement board or log) or non-combustible (stucco, metal, brick/stone) exterior siding material Repair gaps, cracks, or holes where embers could lodge or penetrate Provide 15 cm non-combustible vertical ground-to-siding clearance
3	Windows & Doors	Install tempered glass in all doors and windows Replace single pane window glass with multi pane / thermal window glass Repair gaps in doors / garage doors where embers could accumulate or penetrate
4	Balcony, deck, porch	Install non-combustible or fire-rated, solid (no gaps or cracks) deck surface and support construction Close up open deck structures or remove all combustibles below deck

Yard / Immediate Zone (0 to 1.5 meters from Home)

1.5 meters from furthest extent of home

Replace combustible surfaces with non-combustible surfaces
Remove combustible debris, materials, fences or plants

Yard / Intermediate Zone (1.5 to 10 meters from Home)

6	Adjacent Combustibles	Move woodpiles, building materials and all other combustibles into Extended Zone or enclose in an outbuilding that meets FireSmart guidelines
7	Outbuildings not meeting FireSmart guidelines	Relocate outbuildings not meeting FireSmart guidelines more than 10 meters from home or upgrade outbuildings to meet FireSmart guidelines
8	Trees and coniferous vegetation	Replace (with deciduous) or remove coniferous (evergreen) species- please note thinning out or simply removing needles from below cedar, juniper, or other coniferous shrubsis not eligible for the rebate. It is recommended to not have these types of plants within 10m of structures and we would like to encourage the complete removal of them.
9	Surface vegetation and combustible materials	Cut and maintain grass to less than 10 cm or shorter Replace flammable - continuous or tall growing plants with low flammability, low growing, discontinuous plants Remove branches, and debris accumulations

Yard / Extended Zone (10 to 30 metres from Home)

*Not eligible for rebate

Step 1: Download your application forms

The forms include:

RDOS FireSmart Rebate Application form: Form

*New for 2024: You must have a completed Home Assessment by a FireSmart Professional- If not completed please contact firesmart@rdos.bc.ca to schedule an appointment

If you have had a free home assessment completed on your home, simply include the name of the assessor in the form above.

2. FireSmart Home Work Hours Form: Provide the hours you've worked in this form: RDOS-Work-Hrs-rebate-form.pdf

Step 2: Also include the following in your package

Before and after photos of the project areas being worked on (ensure the photos are from the same direction and orientation)
Original receipts for materials used to complete hazard mitigation work on your property

Step 3: Complete a one-hour online FireSmart 101 Course

Take the one-hour online course with FireSmart BC
Include the certificate of completion with your application

Step 4: Send in your completed application

Email it to firesmart@rdos.bc.ca or mail it to the RDOS FireSmart, 101 Martin Street, Penticton, B.C., V2A 5J9

Have Questions?

Email us at firesmart@rdos.bc.ca

RDOS FireSmart Rebate Submission

Note* all forms can be downloaded, saved and filled out on line by clicking in the appropriate box. Scores and hours are self tabulating.

Residential owners must complete an RDOS FireSmart rebate application that includes:

1) Completed RDOS FireSmart Rebate Application
RDOS-FireSmart-Rebate-Program-Application
2) Completed FireSmart Assessment- include name of assessor
3) FireSmart Work Hours Form PDF
RDOS-Work-Hrs-rebate-form.pdf
4) "Before and After" Photos of the project areas being worked on. (Ensure the photos are from the same direction and orientation)
5) Original Receipts of incurred expenses.
6) The home owner must take and complete the Firesmart 101 online program.
FireSmart 101 Course (Online | one hour): FireSmart 101 | FireSmart (firesmartcanada.ca)
Submission of the certificate with rebate application is required.

Submit completed RDOS FireSmart Grant application to:

E-mail to: firesmart@rdos.bc.ca

or mail to 101 Martin Street, Penticton BC V2A 5J9

FireSmart Rebate Details

FireSmart activities must be located in the FireSmart Home Ignition Zones which includes the home and surrounding yard area – FireSmart Non-Combustible Zone and Priority Zone 1, 2, and 3.
(Work within Zones 2 and 3 will be considered only after addressing concerns of the Home Ignition Zone, Non-Combustible Zone, and Zone 1).

A FireSmart Assessment – accomplished by completing the RDOS Home Ignition Zone Score-Card-04-2021. A FireSmart Home Assessment conducted on a single home should take no more than a few hours. This would apply to residences, farms and ranches.

"Before and After" Photos of the treatment are required
Only the FireSmart activities, estimated work hours, and associated costs that are recommended in the completed assessment are eligible for the rebate.
See the "RDOS Work Hrs rebate form" above, under rebate submission.
Rebates are limited to a maximum of 50% of the total cost of the eligible activities identified and no more than $500 per property.
Residential property owners can complete the mitigation activities themselves, or hire others to complete the work.
You may also submit the Home Partners Program report from your RDOS representative instead of the Home Ignition Zone Scorecard.
Due to limited funding, homeowners are limited to submitting one rebate application per property.

Performing FireSmart Rebate Hazard Reduction Work

Do the hazard mitigation work – retain receipts for materials - labor costs will be 50% of $28.54 per hour up to $500. The cost per hour is based on the volunteer compensation rate established by FireSmart Canada.

When the work is complete contact your Local FireSmart Representative and submit your documentation for review and approval of your rebate.

Please note that the RDOS FireSmart rebate program may be subject to change.

Goal of FireSmart

The general goal of FireSmart is to encourage communities and citizens to adopt and conduct FireSmart practices to mitigate the negative impacts of wildfire to assets on public and private property.

The Regional District Okanagan Similkameen, in partnership with the Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) FireSmart Community Funding & Supports Program, can use grant funding to offer a local rebate program to home owners that complete eligible FireSmart activities on their own properties. To be eligible for funding, the work must:

Address the goals of FireSmart.
Be conducted within the FireSmart Home Ignition Zones which includes the home and surrounding yard areas (illustrated below)
- Non-Combustible Zone and Priority Zones 1, 2 and 3.
Follow the rebate program requirements outlined below.

Who is Eligible

Residents, community associations, and strata properties within the RDOS nine (9) Electoral Areas (“A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “E”, “F”,”G” “H” and “I”), excluding the municipalities of Osoyoos, Oliver, Penticton, Keremeos, and Summerland, are eligible to apply.

Eligible FireSmart Activities

In general, the following activities are eligible for rebate:

Roofing: remove combustible debris and overhanging branches
Siding: remove combustible debris, create 15 cm ground-to-siding non-combustible clearance
Decking: remove all combustible material from under or adjacent to deck, relocate firewood piles
Landscaping: ensure 1.5 metre horizontal non-combustible surface perimeter along the outer walls of the primary structure, plant low density of fire-resistant plants, remove woody debris, remove flammable plants
FireSmart Priority Zone 1: remove material that would easily ignite, thin and prune trees, clean up accumulations of fallen branches, remove dry grass and needles
FireSmart Priority Zone 2: plant deciduous trees, remove standing dead and coarse woody debris, remove unmaintained grasses, ensure flammable shrubs are well spaced, remove low tree branches below two metres from the ground

For further information about FireSmart please see the following websites.

https://firesmart.rdos.bc.ca/

https://firesmartbc.ca/

APPENDIX 1 Eligible Activities for FireSmart Rebate