In 2005, Whistler's community wildfire protection plan warned of "extreme consequences" if a forest fire struck the resort municipality.
Four years later - as two blazes continue to burn near the 2010 Winter Olympic host community - most of the plan's key recommendations remain incomplete.
But Whistler fire chief Rob Whitton said he's happy with the progress the municipality has made on those recommendations.
Speaking with Public Eye, Whitton confirmed the municipality hasn't:
improved road access to neighborhoods with poor fire or evacuation routes
purchased a mobile emergency sprinkler kit that can protect between 30 to 50 homes
thinned high-hazard areas targeted by the plan - removing materials that could increase the chances or severity of a fire via a plan which was supposed to have taken five to ten years to implement
thinned two of the three trail networks recommended to get that treatment
introduced a requirement for buildings to be 10 metres away from the forests' edge
reviewed and revised existing bylaws so new buildings are constructed using standards that make them less vulnerable to forest fires
Whitton said the municipality hasn't change its bylaws because the province is responsible for building standards.
According to the fire chief, it's "near impossible" to win approval from the government for bylaws that go beyond those standards, making those rules unenforceable.
As a result, this year, the municipality will repeal a four-year-old, plan-recommended requirement that new and replaced roofs be made from fire retardant material to protect them from ember showers.
As for why buildings don't have to be 10 metres away from the forests' edge, Whitton said, "in some areas, it's downright impossible given lot configurations, lot sizes" while in others, there are bylaws that prevent trees from being cut down.
But it's practicalities not legalities that have got in the way of the municipality purchasing a sprinkler kit and improving road access to neighbourhoods with poor fire and evacuation routes.
Whitton said a kit would cost more than $100,000, while changing Whistler's roads would be a "significant undertaking" in both money and human resources.
That means the municipality's emergency response plan has been "tailored" to work around those access issues.
And Whitton said he knows fire departments with sprinkler kits "that would be more then willing to share them if required."
Nevertheless, despite all these deficiencies, the fire chief maintained Whistler is at a "good point" when it comes to completing the plan's recommendations.
Describing it as a "monumental task," he said thinning the region's high-hazard areas will be an especially "long-term project" - one the municipality has been undertaking as provincial government funding becomes available.
For example, Whistler completed cleaning up the Lost Lake Trail system in 2008. And work will begin in Kadenwood - a ritzy subdivision on the southern flank of Whistler Mountain - during the fall.
"Everybody - and myself included - would like things to happen faster," he said. But "every year we've made progress. And, from that perspective, I'm quite happy."
Fuel for the fire
With the Campbell administration having once again blown its forest firefighting budget, the minister responsible Pat Bell is promising to do a "careful analysis" of how the government plans for those blazes.
But Bell and his bureaucrats aren't the only ones who will be examining the issue.
British Columbia's independent forest practices watchdog is reviewing the government's province-wide efforts to remove the hazardous materials that can increase the chances or severity of forest fires - for example, debris on the forest floor or dense forest canopies.
The interviews and field work for that review was completed in July, with a report scheduled for release later this year.
The New Democrats have accused the government for not having done enough to prepare for this season's wildfires, which have cost taxpayers almost $300 million as of Sunday - significantly more than $62 million forecasted in February's budget.
It's the sixth time since 2002/03 that the government has busted its forest fire forecast.
Sean Holman is editor of the online provincial political news journal Public Eye (publiceyeonline.com). He can be reached at [email protected].
