Prevent Fires at Home and Work | Resort Municipality of Whistler

There are several steps you can take to prevent fires at home and at work.

Home fire prevention and preparedness

Homeowners are encouraged to complete a self-assessed Home Safety Inspection at least once a year to make sure your home is protected against fire.

Use the Home Safety Inspection checklist below to look for fire hazards at home and prepare your family for fire emergencies. Important tips include:

Keep a fire extinguisher in an accessible location.
Learn fire safety techniques and teach them to your family.
Practice fire drills with your family on a regular basis.
Stock first-aid supplies to treat any injuries until help arrives.
Have an escape plan so that all members of the family know how to get out of the house quickly and safely.
Make sure all family members are familiar with the technique of “STOP, DROP, AND ROLL” if their clothes catch on fire.
Make sure every floor and all sleeping areas have smoke detectors.

Find more information about keeping your home safe from fires:

Residential regulations

If you’re concerned about fire risk in a residential building, contact the Whistler Fire Rescue Service.

The Fire Safety Act allows Whistler Fire Rescue Service to inspect a residential building to check if:

The premises are in disrepair so a fire might rapidly endanger life or property.
The premises are used in a way that fire would endanger life or property.
Combustible, explosive material or other flammable conditions exist which could endanger life or property.
A fire hazard exists.

Business fire safety and prevention

As a business owner, you have a variety of responsibilities relating to fire safety, both to your staff and your customers.

You are responsible to comply with the requirements of the BC Fire Code, which requires you to maintain your space as it was designed, maintain the safety features such as alarm systems, extinguishers and sprinklers and ensure safe exiting by keeping exits clear and doors operable. The Code also regulates what can be stored inside and outside of buildings and in what quantities.

Whistler Fire Rescue Service has a responsibility to conduct regular inspections of your business, hotel or public building. Intervals for these inspections vary, based on the risks and consequences associated with your business class. 

Per Fire Safety Bylaw No. 2201, 2019, an annual fire inspection fee of $125 is payable to the Resort Municipality of Whistler for fire code compliance inspections conducted by Whistler Fire Rescue Service for hotels and public buildings as required by the Fire Safety Act.

Compliance inspections by Whistler Fire Rescue Service are separate from ongoing fire protection and system maintenance services completed by a fire prevention company in Whistler.  

Fire inspection fees are billed in December for fire inspections taking place in the following calendar year. Fees cover an initial inspection and one re-inspection of your premises. Subsequent re-inspections, if required, will be charged $300 per inspection. 

The inspection fee also applies to multiple businesses that may share one commercial space. Administratively, fire inspection reports are stored as a municipal record for every commercial business operating within Whistler. Individual reports will be provided to each individual business sharing a commercial space.

Annual fire inspection fees will be invoiced with business licensing fees, where applicable. 

For more information on inspection criteria, please read the following:

Prevent false alarms

False alarms can delay response to actual emergencies and wastes our emergency resources. Please call 911 immediately to let us know if an alarm is false.

To help prevent false alarms in our community, please remember to:

Service your alarm system regularly.
Have any problems fixed immediately.
Chose the correct type of detector for each location in your home, commercial space or public building.
Notify your alarm monitoring company about any fire alarm testing, construction, renovation or remodelling work.
Provide a local contact to your security monitoring company who can attend when called.

To help cover the cost of a callout, Whistler Fire Rescue Service charges $250 for each individual false alarm and charges an additional $150 fee if there isn’t a property representative to attend, when requested by the fire department.

A property representative should be the owner, or someone the owner has allocated to respond to an incident promptly such as a property management professional or security company. Please call 911 if the alarm is a false callout, to avoid us unnecessarily sending out a fire truck. We don’t charge if we don’t respond.

Of course, we don’t charge for real alarms.

Your annual home safety inspection checklist

The Whistler Fire Rescue Service recommends that you complete this Home Safety Inspection each year. Any questions answered “no” should be addressed as soon as possible for your safety.

For assistance or additional information, please call us at 604-935-8260.

Cooking safety

Is an adult in the kitchen when cooking on the stove?
Are curtains, towels, and other things that can burn kept well away from the stovetop and counter near the stove?
Is a pan lid or cookie sheet nearby to use in case a fire starts in the pan? Never attempt to move a burning pot.
Are panhandles turned inward when cooking so they cannot be bumped?
Is there a kid-free zone of three feet around the stove when adults are cooking?

Electrical safety

Are extension cords being used correctly? Cords should not be used to replace permanent wiring, with rugs or carpet, or across doorways.
Are electrical appliances in good repair? Replace all electrical cords that are frayed or worn.
Are UL or CSA approved power bars being used in electrical circuits with multiple appliances?
Are portable space heaters turned off when adults leave the room for a long time or when they go to bed?
If portable space heaters are used, are they kept at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including papers, towels and furniture?
Are combustibles stored at least three feet away from furnaces and water heaters?
If you have a wood burning fireplace, does it have a sturdy screen in front of it to catch sparks?
Has your fireplace and chimney been inspected and cleaned this year?
Has your furnace been checked by a furnace service company this year?
Are propane tanks and other fuels stored outside your home?

Candle safety

Are candles extinguished when leaving the room or when going to bed?
Are candles kept at least two feet away from any materials that can burn, including curtains, blinds, wallpaper, bulletin boards and clothing?
Are candles placed in sturdy non-combustible holders that won’t tip over easily?

Smoke alarms and home fire escape plans

Do you have smoke alarms on every level, including the basement, and inside sleeping area?
Are your smoke alarms installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions?
Are your smoke alarms tested monthly?
Can everyone hear the sound of the smoke alarm and know what it is?
Are your smoke alarms newer than 10 years old? Smoke alarms should be replaced within 10 years.
Have you changed your smoke alarm batteries twice this year? Changing clocks to and from Daylight Savings time is a good way to remember this.
Do you have a family fire evacuation plan and practice it every six months?

General information and home safety

Is your house address number visible from the street both day and night?
Are appropriate ashtrays or other approved containers used for discarding smoking material?
Are household chemicals kept in properly labelled containers and away from children?
Is gasoline stored in an approved container, in a detached shed away from all ignition sources? Are all matches and lighters stored up high and out of reach and sight of children?
Do you have a 2A-rated fire extinguisher on each floor of your home?