The Firewise Program
Olympic Valley has been certified as a National Firewise Community since 2020. The certification recognizes our community's documented, ongoing work to reduce wildfire risk — and it unlocks real insurance discounts for residents.
Did you know
The Firewise program started in 2002 with 12 pilot neighborhoods and now has nearly 1,000 member communities in 40 states.
Insurance discounts
Some insurance companies provide discounts to homeowners in Firewise-certified communities. Most will ask you for a copy of the Firewise certificate above.
The California FAIR Plan provides a 10% discount for Olympic Valley being a Firewise Community, plus additional discounts for implementing structure home hardening and surroundings protection (Zone 0 and Zone 1) at your property:
FAIR Plan Discounts one-pager →Your hours keep us certified
To maintain certification we must document, every year, the hours and expenses residents put into protecting their properties — including time spent at information programs, community meetings, and advocacy. The real push is the work done on each individual property, which only you can do and claim.
Please keep a record and enter your time and expenses — along the way, or at the end of the season:
2026 Firewise Activity FormIn 2025, Olympic Valley residents spent 2,314 hours and $37,221 on Firewise activities. The PSD collected over 1,414 cubic yards of green waste.
Green waste days & program events
- PSD Green Waste DaySun, Sep 13 · 9:00AM–4:00PM
- PSD Green Waste DaySun, Oct 11 · 9:00AM–4:00PM
Drop off green waste at the PSD lot on scheduled Sundays, 9am–4pm — free for Olympic Valley residents. All community events are on the Valley Calendar.
About Olympic Valley Firewise
The Olympic Valley Firewise Community was created to raise awareness of wildfire risk within our community. It was founded by local residents David Stepner, Andrew Lange, and Michael Carabetta, and earned National Firewise Community certification in 2020.
The group then drove the creation of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan for Olympic Valley, led by the PSD — enabling grants that reduce fuel in our surrounding forests and create firebreaks to slow wildfire spread within the valley.
The Olympic Valley PSD and Palisades Tahoe are ongoing partners; Palisades Tahoe hosts a yearly mock Valley evacuation drill with CAL FIRE, the California Sheriff's Department, and the OV Fire Department. Olympic Valley Firewise is hosted by the Friends of Olympic Valley 501(c), so donations are tax deductible.
Volunteer with Firewise