Wildfire risk reduction is the shared responsibility of our whole community including residents, visitors, businesses and the municipal and provincial government.
Learn how to make your home and property more resilient to wildfire with home hardening techniques identified in a FireSmart Wildfire Mitigation Program Assessment (WMP). Find out how to use fire-resistant materials, safe landscaping practices and preventative measure to reduce risk on all aspects of your home and property. Our goal is to help homeowners understand the risks specific to their property and all actions they can take to mitigate these risks.
FireSmart homes are resistant to multiple forms of ignition and FireSmart landscapes are designed to hinder the impact of Wildland-Urban Interface fires.
Free FireSmart assessments
Act now to take advantage of a free assessment and FireSmart credit. A certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist will evaluate your property and provide a report and recommendations.
The credit program is designed to help residents take immediate and informed action on their property’s landscape. Owners who request an assessment can receive up to an hours’ worth of guidance and work conducted at the time of assessment. Safe and effective cutting techniques are combined with FireSmart best practice to equip homeowners with the knowledge and skills they need to make their property effectively FireSmart.
Inquiries for assessments can be made via email: FireSmart@whistler.ca. Examples of recommendations may include things like adding non-combustible materials to elements of the building structure, moving or enclosing firewood piles, cleaning roofing, gutters, or decks, landscape modifications, and tree pruning or removal.
FireSmart Work Days
Stratas and neighbourhoods are encouraged to organize FireSmart Work Days to remove potential fire fuel. On a FireSmart Work Day providing tools, a chipper, a bin for wood waste, and expert advice and assistance from a FireSmart crew.
To book your strata or neighbourhood FireSmart Work Day or the FireSmart Community Chipper Service to remove wood waste, email firesmart@whistler.ca.
FireSmart Community Chipper Service
Our free FireSmart Community Chipper Service is available from May to October each year, so you can reduce potential fire fuel such as tree branches and stems from your property.
Request the FireSmart Community Chipper Service
- Email firesmart@whistler.ca to get a FireSmart assessment. This helps us to understand your property and plan work days.
- You clean up your property and put the woody debris in a pile, being careful to remove gravel and loose leaves.
- Contact firesmart@whistler.ca to book the FireSmart crew to chip and remove the pile.
Accepted Materials
If it can be raked it should be taken to the Function Transfer station yard waste bin. Materials that can be included for pick-up include:
- natural woody debris
- tree limbs
- stems
Materials not accepted include:
- construction material
- garden debris
- invasive species
FireSmarting trees and landscaping
To make FireSmart changes to your landscaping, or remove vegetation or trees, you might need a development permit or a tree cutting permit.
If your property is in a Development Permit Area, a development permit is required before beginning any development that includes alteration of land, including landscaping or removal of vegetation or trees.
Disclaimer: Please note that your information is collected by the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) under section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. By emailing FireSmart, you consent to your contact information being collected by the RMOW to contact you to arrange your FireSmart Home Partners Assessment. Your personal information will be stored securely by the RMOW and will only be shared with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. If you have questions about how your personal information is being collected, used or shared please contact firesmart@whistler.ca
FireSmart landscaping workshops
Whistler’s FireSmart team educates local landscaping professionals on FireSmart best practices.
Our workshops include basic fire science, how wildfire ignite, fuel pathways, the Priority Zones model, and how to use the FireSmart BC Landscaping Hub and Plant Program.
Email firesmart@whistler.ca for upcoming workshop dates.