Emergency Management FireSmart Program

• Emergency Management FireSmart Program project funding application

Who is eligible?

• First Nations communities
• Tribal councils
• Indigenous organizations

Eligible expenses

• Wildland fire emergency management training, onsite or off-site.
• Wildland firefighting equipment and low-value equipment for emergency preparedness and mitigation, such as firefighter protective gear, vegetation management equipment, and fire suppression tools.
• Vegetation management, fuel reduction, forest thinning, prescribed burning, fire breaks, fire mapping, and fire risk studies.
• Workshops, forums, conferences, community and youth engagement, research, and Indigenous knowledge activities related to emergency management and climate change.
• Consultant fees, equipment rentals for mock exercises, signage, and administrative fees not exceeding 10% of the total funding request.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Equipment purchases over $10,000 or capital equipment.
• Equipment installation.
• Benefits, insurance, interest, and banking fees.
• Food or meals, except when part of travel linked to the project.
• First aid or emergency management kits, gifts or honoraria, except an elder honorarium at an event.
• Salaries already funded by another Government of Canada program.

Eligible geographic areas

• A reserve, as defined in s. 2(1) of the Indian Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. I-5.
• Lands set aside in Yukon as per Cabinet Directive (Circular No. 27) entitled Procedure for Reserving Land in the Yukon and Northwest Territories (1955).
• Lands formerly defined as a reserve or lands set aside which now form part of modern treaty settlement lands.

• Community risk, including past emergency events and regional wildland fire risk.
• Project impact, including community capacity and number of people benefiting.
• Project feasibility, including the work plan and budget.
• Eligible expenditures.
• Priority may be given to communities that have not previously received FireSmart funding.

• Step 1: Complete the application
  • Complete the Emergency Management FireSmart Program project funding application.
  • For the 2026 to 2027 form, enter 6978382 in the Filter items box on the Proposals, applications, work plans web page.
• Step 2: Submit the application
  • Submit the form to your ISC regional office emergency management contact.
• Step 3: Follow regional instructions if in British Columbia
  • If your First Nation community is in British Columbia, contact the First Nations Emergency Services Society for instructions and the application procedure.

• Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis until funding is exhausted.
• Proposals are assessed for community risk, project impact, feasibility, eligible expenditures, and previous FireSmart funding.
• Applicants are notified by the regional office of the application status and eligibility.
• A funding agreement is signed before funds are transferred.
• Reporting requirements are set out in the funding agreement.

• The FireSmart program is separate from the FireSmart Canada program.
• In British Columbia, FireSmart funding for First Nations communities is administered through the First Nations Emergency Services Society.