Ahead of the usual hot and dry July and August months, Prepared BC has released a new wildfire preparedness guide.

The guide contains information that will help British Columbians better protect themselves and their homes, as well as to understand what to do in case of a wildfire.

Spokesperson Ryan Turcotte says it’s a good time to spark the conversation about being ready in the event of a wildfire.

“So there’s a piece in there around being proactive and doing a bit of advanced preparation so that a wildfire emergency doesn’t catch you off guard, but it also talks about really important safety tips for where you do have to evacuate your home. And then as well, talking about if you are impacted by wildfire, how do you recover after the fact.”

Essentially, he says the guide is information on what to do before, during, and after a wildfire.

“In the unfortunate event that your home actually is impacted by wildfire, this guide absolutely does talk about what to expect when you return home after its been impacted,” he noted. “Reentering the home but also starting up your insurance claim process to get back on your feet.”

Turcotte adds the plan will also talk about psychological care.

“It’s a very emotional and stressful thing to go through and it’s important to take care of yourself too,” he said. “There’s various pieces of advice, tips and also resources you can reach out to if you need that kind of support.”

The guide is online and it was was created by Emergency Management BC, along with the BC Wildfire Service, FireSmart BC, and the Office of the Fire Commissioner.