Whistler is leaning into its fire preparedness as a drier-than-normal winter comes to a close and another warm summer looms.
“The need for emergency preparedness is becoming more evident each year with the growing fire season, and the risks associated with that,” said Chief Thomas Doherty of the Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS).
“Looking at Lytton, Kelowna and Gun Lake, they’ve shown us first-hand the devastating power that wildfires can have and their increasing frequency in B.C.”
Doherty said the WFRS and the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) are adapting to climate change by increasing their emergency preparedness through, among other things, simulating a community-wide evacuation.
On April 18, the fire department, the RMOW and the RCMP will simulate the scenario of a fire triggering an evacuation from the Spring Creek area in order to prepare them for the real possibility of a wildfire, and hopefully plug any operational gaps.
“That’s going to give us an opportunity to have our staff practise some of the tasks that they need to perform,” said Doherty. “Our senior staff and EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) staff will be going over evacuation orders, and the process for that—the process for declaring a local state of emergency.”
Emergency support services will be on-hand doing practical exercises and door-knocking, and a trial Whistler Alert will be sent out as well.
The event is a first for the WFRS, though Doherty said the fire department does shared exercises with BC Wildfire, Whistler Blackcomb and Pemberton Fire every now and then, including one scheduled for May 1 on Blackcomb Mountain.
Simulating emergencies is just one component of Whistler’s wildfire preparedness: The RMOW is also working through recommendations on fire-proofing the resort as part of its Community Wildfire Resiliency Program, while Spring Creek is home to Fire Hall No. 3, which, as of mid-2024, is expected to be staffed full-time, with hiring ongoing.
Changing wildfire conditions and longer summers have offered more lessons for firefighters across the province, said Doherty.
“It just keeps evolving and we have to stay ahead of that curve and be proactive, and continue to look for ways to better improve and protect the community, because we know being proactive saves lives,” he added.
Doherty noted the consultants who worked with the RMOW and WFRS on the community’s Wildfire Protection Plan happened to be deployed last year to West Kelowna, where an August wildfire prompted the evacuation of more than 35,000 people.
“They were in Whistler prior to that fire doing the defence plan, and they said that what they saw happen to West Kelowna and the conditions they see in Whistler, we would experience a very similar wildfire event with how quickly that grew,” he relayed.
A dry winter adds another challenge for fire and emergency personnel. On the day Pique spoke with Doherty, the provincial government released its snow bulletin for April 1, which showed the South Coast (which includes Whistler) was at 53 per cent of its typical annual snowpack, while the entire province was averaging 63 per cent, the lowest in 50 years.
The release prompted B.C.’s Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Nathan Cullen to release a statement pertaining to drought conditions.
“The experts at the River Forecast Centre tell us these low levels and the impacts of year-over-year drought are creating significantly higher drought risk for this spring and summer,” he said. “We know this is concerning news. Communities around B.C. experienced serious drought conditions last summer. It fuelled the worst wildfire season ever, harmed fish and wildlife, and affected farmers, ranchers, First Nations and industry.”
Doherty said the low snowpack was “always a concern. Ideally, you want to see that much higher.
“We’re just coming into spring and hoping we get a lot of moisture between now and the summer months, but we have to be prepared and we have to expect the unexpected.”
All hands on deck
An important aspect of preparing for a major wildfire is fuel mitigation, something the WFRS and RMOW have leaned into for years, and something residents can help with.
“When it comes to wildfire, we need all hands on deck. It’s going to take a community to protect a community. It’s not something that just falls to the municipality to look after; we need everybody,” Doherty said.
The best way for Whistlerites to chip in is through the local FireSmart program, which is implemented through seven initiatives: education, vegetation management, legislation and planning, development considerations, inter-agency cooperation, emergency planning and cross-training.
The WFRS offers free FireSmart assessments to neighbourhoods and properties, and can provide resources and knowledge for homeowners to protect their homes and the community.
Since it started in 2016, there have been 128 FireSmart neighbourhood assessments; 354 single-family dwelling assessments; 145 FireSmart workday projects; 1,672 properties serviced by the FireSmart community chipper; and 176 bins used in the community for vegetation removal.
The FireSmart adopt-a-trail campaign has five volunteer groups involved, while 19 neighbourhoods have received their FireSmart neighbourhood recognition. In 2023, the community chipper program serviced 224 properties over 20 days, and more than 180 metric tonnes of vegetation—potential fire fuel—were removed from Whistler on 26 FireSmart work days
Due to the high number of vacation homes in Whistler, Doherty said it is a good idea for property owners to incorporate FireSmart activities into their annual maintenance.
“We’ve made some significant progress in that regard, but it comes down to having everybody chip in, and we’d like to see more residents and more property owners be part of that process and get engaged and take on some responsibility of mitigating risk,” he said.
Many of Whistler’s neighbourhoods are nestled into the surrounding forest, posing another risk to property owners should the worst-case scenario come to pass.
“People come [to Whistler] for that [natural] experience, so it does create a challenge in trying to apply FireSmart principles to a community where the homes are in the intermix, between trees with overarching canopies. [Fire-proofing and fuel mitigation] are some of the measures that can come into play to reduce fuels up against the house.”
A simple FireSmart action to consider is clearing away leaves and detritus accumulated around the outside of a home—areas where embers would gather in a wildfire. Homeowners should also regularly clear their gutters, remove leaves from their roof, and move woodpiles away from structures.
Keeping in touch
Preventative measures are one thing; staying informed is another.
The RMOW and WFRS are pushing for more residents to sign up for Whistler Alert, the resort’s official emergency notification system that delivers real-time messaging in an emergency through text, phone and email. Sign up at whistler.ca/emergency/whistler-alert.
It’s not just residents that should sign up, but visitors, too, Doherty said.
“When you come to Whistler, we encourage you to sign up for Whistler Alert,” he said. “Even those that have vacation properties here, we strongly recommend you make that part of your booking process, so if they’re booking into your property, they [can] sign up for Whistler Alerts—same for hotels.”
With a range of efforts underway to ensure Whistler is ready for whatever may come of wildfire seasons now and into the future, Doherty said Whistler as a community is becoming more alert to the risks—and safer as a result.
“With all the planning the municipality is doing, the fuel-mitigation projects, the FireSmart program, the wildfire defence program … having all that information well in advance of a wildfire, we’re well-positioned to protect the community as best we can,” he said. “Things are always changing, and we continue to look at how we can improve on our programs.”
Other key things residents should keep in mind heading into summer is whether they have an emergency plan for their household; having a go-bag ready for all household members that includes vital documents and any required medication in case you need to move quickly; and making sure your vehicle always has at least a half-tank of gas.
