BC's wildfire seasons have grown longer and reach further into populated areas than they used to. Homes on the North Shore, in the Fraser Valley, and anywhere backing onto forest or greenbelt are increasingly exposed to wind-blown embers — the small, glowing fragments that travel ahead of a main fire and find their way into homes through the smallest openings.
Your window screens are one of those openings. Ember-resistant screens are a practical, affordable way to close that gap.
What "ember-resistant" actually means
Standard window screens use fiberglass mesh. Fiberglass is great at keeping bugs out, but it melts and burns through at low temperatures — an ember that lands on it can open a hole in seconds, and once there's a hole, embers and radiant heat reach the glass and the interior.
Ember-resistant screens use fine metal mesh — woven steel or aluminum — that won't melt or burn through from a brief ember contact. The metal won't stop a wall of flame, but it dramatically reduces the chance that a single wind-blown ember ignites something inside your home.
This aligns with the FireSmart principle of reducing ember intrusion through building openings.
How they differ from standard screens
- Material: metal mesh vs. fiberglass.
- Survivability: metal resists ember contact; fiberglass fails quickly.
- Durability: metal mesh also resists pets, rodents, and impacts — so it does double duty in many BC homes.
- Visibility: fine metal mesh is slightly more visible than fiberglass but the difference is small.
- Cost: more than fiberglass, but a modest upgrade relative to the protection it offers.
Who should consider the upgrade
Ember-resistant screens make the most sense for:
- Homes backing onto forest, parkland, or greenbelt
- Properties on the North Shore, in the Fraser Valley, and other wildland-urban interface areas
- Ground-floor and garden-level windows where embers can settle
- Anyone already upgrading to metal mesh for pet or rodent resistance — the ember benefit comes for free
If you're in a dense urban core with no nearby forest, standard fiberglass is generally sufficient. If you can see trees from your windows, it's worth a conversation.
See our metal mesh screen options →
The rest of the FireSmart picture
Ember-resistant screens are one piece of a larger strategy. They work best alongside the standard FireSmart recommendations: clearing combustibles from within 1.5 m of your home, cleaning gutters, screening vents, and maintaining a defensible space. Screens address the openings; the rest of the work addresses the surroundings.
Ordering ember-resistant screens
We build metal mesh screens to your exact window measurements in our Coquitlam workshop, with the same 5–7 business day turnaround as our standard screens. Because they're metal, they also qualify as your pet- and rodent-resistant upgrade — one screen, three benefits.
Get a quote for metal mesh screens →
The takeaway
Ember-resistant metal mesh screens won't make a home fireproof, but they close one of the most common ways embers get inside — the window screen. For BC homes near the woods, it's one of the most cost-effective resilience upgrades you can make.