Abstract Manager

The Government of Canada, Natural Resources (NRC) reported in 2023 that “Canada’s 2023 wildfire season is the most destructive ever recorded". Wildfires not only destroyed millions of hectares of land (NRC, 2023) but also induced a significant disruption in transportation services and risks to public safety. Changing climate, increasing temperature, and drought have the potential to increase these risks. It was determined that bridge owners and decision-makers would benefit from an index to be able to rate existing bridges and culverts for wildfire vulnerability. A wildfire appraisal index has been developed based on simple inputs and which can be applied manually or used in an asset management system. The main inputs for wildfire appraisal include structural material, wildfire exposure factor, traffic delay, and wildfire likelihood. This new index varies from 1 (worse) to 10 (best). Using the same parameters, wildfire vulnerability has been defined and used in a wildfire risk matrix. In this paper, each of the main wildfire parameters will be described. The explanation will include the various ranges of each input and how they affect the wildfire appraisal rating. The paper will include recommendations on how to lower the vulnerability using methods such as protection, coatings, maintenance of the bridge and watercourse, water management techniques, etc.