Whistler Alert

Whistler Alert is the official emergency notification system used by the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) to communicate with residents and visitors during emergencies. Sign up now to receive alerts via text message, phone, and email. The system enables the RMOW to provide you with critical information in a variety of situations that may pose a risk to your health, safety or property.

Find out more about how to prepare yourself, your family, housemates or pets for an emergency on Whistler's Emergency Program page.

How it works

When an emergency occurs, messages will be sent to all registered contacts in the impacted neighborhood. If the emergency is large in scale, an alert will be sent to all registered contacts in Whistler.

Who can sign-up for Whistler Alert?
Whistler Alert is available to both residents and visitors. When you register, you will be asked whether you are a resident or visitor.

Residents will be asked to provide their contact information and to select the Whistler neighbourhoods they wish to receive alerts for. We recommend you select all neighbourhoods you spend time in, such as where you work, play, and the neighbourhoods that house the school or childcare facility that your child attends.
Visitors will be asked for their contact number and to input the date they plan to leave Whistler. Visitors will no longer receive alerts after their intended departure date.

Sign up - It's easy!

Signing up for Whistler Alert is easy and can be done from your mobile phone, tablet or computer.

Frequently asked questions

How do I sign-up for Whistler Alert?

Signing up for Whistler Alert is easy. Go to Whistler Alert and register your name and phone number and select the neighbourhoods you would like notifications for. You may update your existing contact information and preferences in your Whistler Alert account.

Will the personal information I provide to the RMOW to register for Whistler Alert be shared with a third party or used for any other purpose?

The Resort Municipality of Whistler has completed a provincial Privacy Impact Assessment to meet the requirements of Part 3 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The information you provide will be kept confidential and will not be used for any purpose other than to contact you in the event of an emergency.

Usage of this service is subject to Terms of Service. When you register you will be asked to acknowledge that Whistler Alert may send you text or phone messages that may result in charges to your cell phone plan.

How much does it cost?

This service is provided by the RMOW at no cost to the public; however, message and data rates may apply depending on your provider and phone services.

Why do I need Whistler Alert when I have a TV, social media and a radio to keep me informed?

Whistler Alert serves as another tool to keep the public informed during emergencies. By signing up for Whistler Alert, the public can receive real-time alerts directly on their preferred devices (text message, voice message, and email).

What will a Whistler Alert look like?

A Whistler Alert will look like a text message. The message will show the event type and any action you should take. The message will be no more than 160 characters.

Why do I need to register for Whistler Alert if I will automatically receive "Alert Ready” emergency notifications through my cellphone provider?

At this time, the British Columbia’s new wireless public alerting system called “Alert Ready” will only issue emergency alerts for tsunamis. Whistler Alert has the capacity to alert citizens of local emergencies that may impact them such as boil water advisories, evacuation alerts and orders, etc.

What should I do if I receive a Whistler Alert message?

Follow any action advised by the message. Find more information on whistler.ca or from local media.

What should I do if I receive a Whistler Alert on my wireless device while driving?

It is important to take action safely, especially if the alert is received while operating a vehicle. If you are driving, it is important to remain calm and pull over at your earliest safe opportunity to view the emergency alert.

Will Whistler Alert come through if my phone is off or on Do Not Disturb?

No, Whistler Alert cannot override the Do Not Disturb function on your phone. However, you can save the Whistler Alert phone number to your cell phone contacts and favourites to bypass the Do Not Disturb function and ensure you still receive alerts.

Whistler Alert will originate from the main RMOW phone number: 604-932-5535.

Save this number in your cell phone's 'Favourites' and bypass the 'Do Not Disturb' function so that you can receive emergency voice call alerts at anytime – even when you’re asleep.

This will NOT work if your cell phone is turned off or set to airplane mode.

NOTE: The set-up instructions below may differ depending on your mobile phone.

iPhone Instructions

Open the Phone app
Tap on "Contacts" tab
Tap the "+" sign to add a new contact
Add Whistler Alert as a new contact using 778-400-4845
Tap "Favorites" tab and tap "+" sign
Open your Whistler Alert contact and tap "Add to Favorites" then tap "Call mobile"
Whistler Alert will now be saved to your Favorites
Now open Settings app
Tap "Do Not Disturb"
Tap "Allow Calls From"
Select "Favorites"

Android Instructions

Go to Contacts and using "+" sign add Whistler Alert as a contact using 604-932-5535
Mark as a Favourite by selecting the "star" icon
Now go to Settings
Tap "Sound and Notification"
Tap "Do Not Disturb"
Tap "Automatic Rules" (On a Galaxy phone, it's Settings>Sounds and Vibration>Do Not Disturb>Enable as Scheduled)
Tap "Add rule" and decide if you want it to be triggered by a specific time or by an event
Pick a name for the rule and specify the triggers