Nov 8, 2018: WILDFIRE PREVENTION NEEDS ATTENTION

As appeared in The Pique, Letters to the Editor, Nov 8, 2018.

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/letters-to-the-editor-for-the-week-of-november-8/Content?oid=11841076

WILDFIRE PREVENTION NEEDS ATTENTION

We have been hearing about all the good things the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has done, but would it surprise you to know that our fire response and prevention budget is considerably less than what other communities nearby spend? West Vancouver and both the City and District of North Vancouver spend 20 percent of their budget, while in Whistler, a little over five per cent is dedicated. 

The RMOW has spent an additional $1 million on clearing and thinning, plus some grants, a Fire Smart program, and some cameras, but if you add all this up, we still don't reach seven per cent of our budget. 

While the North Shore cities are like us with a large green belt, much of the land borders the ocean, while we are embedded in a high-risk forest. If a major fire breaks out on the North Shore, they can draw on each other for reinforcements, just minutes away. Whistler's mutual aid centres are much smaller, less capable units, and are 45 minutes away at best.

Whistler is surrounded by high-risk C2 and C3 forests, a very serious fire threat as identified by the Blackwell Report commissioned by the RMOW. Our situation is much more precarious, yet these North Shore cities have budgeted 20 per cent, compared with our seven per cent. 

I don't know about you, but I do not want to turn on the television one night to an episode of 60 Minutes—What happened in Whistler?" and hear Anderson Cooper state something along the lines of, "In the post-fire investigation, it should be noted that the RMOW placed a significantly lower than usual amount of money toward fire response and prevention compared to similar cities in the region, this despite being given a clear indication by a respected consultant it commissioned of the dangers that lay before it. Whistler's attitude to safety measures mirrors that of the Titanic's." 

Is that all this valley is worth? A budget of five per cent or seven per cent, or even 10 per cent, when districts around us are doing so much more? And again, I will say it: one area we can do something about is changing our minds about the Blackwell Report's recommendations and spending that extra $1 million a year on Option 2, the option that brings us to safety in 20 years rather than the 40-year schedule now being followed.

Stu Wild's proposed "Whistler First" fire attack and rescue helicopter had a budget of $1 million a year; if we tossed that in, we would still be under 10 per cent—and we'd have one fantastic first-strike option, a helicopter, that could fly right over your house (legally) and drop water on it.

Most fire departments in California have these types of helicopters for this very reason. If we added this in, we would still be well below West Vancouver's budget. Bed unit to bed unit, we are almost the same size as West Vancouver, 36,000 to 42,000. 

So in the meantime, as we do some much needed fire mitigation and thinning over the next 40 years, let's pray that no stray lightning spark or carelessly tossed cigarette signals a devastating wildfire that gives the news teams so much to talk about. 

Lance Bright
Whistler