Sprinklers are used to protect structures from wildfire during wildland-urban interface (WUI) events across Canada. Traditionally, standard forestry equipment has been used in conjunction with impact sprinklers. Agencies are trying to determine if the standard practices and equipment used in wildfire suppression operations are the most effective for community structure protection.

The Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta has engaged with FPInnovations to conduct a state-of-practice review of water delivery systems (sprinklers) used in the wildland-urban interface. This review included the following key elements that framed FPInnovations conclusions and key messages:

1. A literature review on the pathways and mitigation of structure ignition in the wildland-urban interface
2. The development and analysis of a national survey on the use of sprinklers in Canada and a review of commonly used equipment
3. A review of standards and codes specific to the WUI that relate to the use of sprinklers
4. Observation and interviews of fire managers to identify pre-deployment and deployment best practices for sprinklers
5. The documentation of wildland-urban interface case studies that describe actual sprinkler deployments