Communities across northeast British Columbia, including Fort St. John, Taylor, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and several First Nations, are receiving provincial funding aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness as extreme weather and climate-related events become more common.
The Province announced approximately $3.5 million through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund to support emergency operations centres in 138 communities across B.C. The funding will help local governments and First Nations improve training, purchase equipment and strengthen their ability to respond during emergencies.
Emergency operations centres serve as the command hubs where local officials, staff and volunteers coordinate emergency response, support first responders and provide information and assistance to residents during disasters.
“Emergency operations centres are the backbone of a co-ordinated response when an emergency happens,” Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Kelly Greene said.
“This funding will help local governments and First Nations with the equipment, training and exercises they need to run their emergency operations centres effectively, so communities throughout B.C. get the support they need as quickly as possible.”
The City of Fort St. John has been approved for $30,000 to purchase emergency operations centre furniture, provide additional staff training and carry out an emergency exercise designed to strengthen local response capabilities.
The funding is intended to improve the city’s readiness before emergencies occur by ensuring staff have the resources and experience needed to respond efficiently during wildfires, floods or other disasters.
The District of Taylor will receive $14,700 to purchase rapid damage assessment kits while also supporting emergency operations training and a tabletop exercise to help staff practise responding to emergency scenarios.
The province says exercises such as these allow emergency teams to identify gaps in response plans before an actual emergency occurs.
The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality has been awarded $12,239 to upgrade its mobile emergency operations centre trailer with new furniture and equipment, improving its ability to respond across the region.
The municipality says previous provincial funding has already strengthened emergency management throughout the region.
“We are grateful for the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund’s continued investment in emergency preparedness in the Northern Rockies,” said Terry Cavaliere, the municipality’s Natural Resources, FireSmart and Emergency Program co-ordinator.
“Previous funding has strengthened our emergency management capabilities and our ability to co-ordinate effective responses, benefiting residents throughout the region, including our valued partners at Prophet River First Nation and Fort Nelson First Nation.”
Cavaliere said this year’s funding will further improve regional preparedness.
“This year’s funding will upgrade our mobile emergency operations centre trailer with essential furniture and equipment, enhancing regional readiness and resilience.”
Several First Nations in northeast B.C. are also receiving funding through the program.
Doig River First Nation has been approved for $17,750 to conduct a tabletop emergency exercise and provide emergency communications training to strengthen emergency operations centre readiness.
McLeod Lake Indian Band will receive $30,000 for emergency operations furniture and office supplies to support its emergency management program.
Daylu Dena Council has also been approved for $30,000 to establish emergency operations centre procedures and carry out operational exercises aimed at improving emergency response capacity.
The province said investments like these help communities prepare for increasingly frequent emergencies linked to a changing climate while improving co-ordination between local governments, First Nations and emergency responders.
Since the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund was launched in 2017, the province says it has committed $369 million toward more than 2,800 projects supporting disaster preparedness and emergency response throughout British Columbia.
