The City of Burnaby is significantly enhancing public safety on Burnaby Mountain with the deployment of a new autonomous wildfire detection system.
“This investment is part of our commitment to protecting residents, students and critical infrastructure on Burnaby Mountain,” said Mayor Mike Hurley. “We’ve seen how the risk of wildfires continues to evolve as we experience hotter, drier weather in the summer – this new system is another tool to help us avoid the worst-case scenario."
This year, the City will install an autonomous early wildfire detection system on Burnaby Mountain, including smoke detection cameras and ground sensor nodes, capable of identifying fire indicators such as heat and smoke in near real-time. Devices will be strategically placed at urban-wildland interface boundaries, evacuation corridors and near industrial infrastructure such as the Trans Mountain tank farm (Burnaby Terminal) and the Shell Burmount Terminal. Locations on Burnaby Mountain will be selected in partnership with Simon Fraser University (SFU), including potential on-campus sites. The project will also include installation of a detection system near the Parkland Refinery in North Burnaby.
“This system will give our firefighters a head start, by turning early signals into clear, actionable alerts so we can find the source fast, send the right crews and stop small problems before they become big ones,” said Burnaby Fire Chief Miles Ritchie.
In addition, the City will collaborate with wildfire science experts at SFU to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the fire environment on Burnaby Mountain. This project, led by Dr. Sophie Wilkinson of SFU’s School of Environmental and Resource Management and managed through the Civic Innovation Lab, will deploy advanced monitoring stations to collect real-time data on weather and soil conditions, supporting improved emergency preparedness and community education.
“At SFU, we are committed to leveraging innovation and research to address the challenges of a changing climate. This collaboration with the City of Burnaby, through our joint Civic Innovation Lab, demonstrates how bold ideas and partnerships can create lasting impact for our communities,” said SFU President and vice-chancellor, Joy Johnson. “This work marks an important step toward a safer, more resilient future for Burnaby Mountain and we are thankful to the City of Burnaby for making this work a priority.”
These investments, funded through money received from Trans Mountain as part of a Community Contribution Agreement signed in 2024, directly support the City’s ongoing preparations for a full-scale emergency exercise on Burnaby Mountain planned for 2027.
Learn More: Full-scale Emergency Excercise