While rainy weather is indeed welcome, residents should not become complacent, forests can become tinder dry in a few days.
Already Canada is experiencing the worst wildfire season of the 21st century. More than 400 wildfires are burning, devouring some 47,000 square kilometres of land.
Kyle Hale, Golden and Area A Emergency Management Program (GAEMP) coordinator is asking residents to be aware of potential emergencies and do their part to prepare for them.
“The community has a robust emergency management plan, but individuals can help us help those who are truly in need and vulnerable,” he says.
Information on how to do that is available online at https://www.golden.ca/town-services/fire-emergency-services/golden-area-emergency-program. The federal Get Prepared website provides a wealth of information at https://www.getprepared.gc.ca. According to the website, it will take about 20 minutes to make a family emergency plan online, which can then be printed.
Before starting, you will need to think about: safe exits from home and neighbourhood, meeting places to reunite with family or roommates, designated person to pick up children, contact persons close-by and out-of-town, health and insurance information and places for your pet to stay. As well, it is important to know the location of your fire extinguisher, water valve, electrical panel, gas valve and floor drain. Check your kit twice a year and re-stock as needed.
Hale notes he has a travel trailer stocked with necessities and important documents hooked up to a truck. In the event of an evacuation, his wife and two children will be ready to drive away at a moment’s notice.
As well as preparing for the possibility of evacuation, Hale says residents can help to protect their properties and themselves by taking part in the free FireSmart program.
“It’s never too late to FireSmart your property and every little bit of prevention and fuel reduction is important,” he says of the free program. “The first 10 things on the FireSmart list are the easiest to do, and then plan ahead. It’s where you have the most control and the most value for your effort.”
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District received a $550,000 grant from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities’ Community Resiliency Fund to carry on FireSmart activities in 2023 and, thanks to a $200,000 grant ($100,000 a year for two years) from the Columbia Basin Trust, the regional district has hired Revelstoke structural firefighter Ross Goddard to deliver the program in Electoral Areas A and B.
He can be reached at wildfiremitigationcolumbia@csrd.bc.ca. In the Town of Golden, Fire Chief Mike Pecora is FireSmart accredited and will provide the same free assessment and consultation service. Property owners are responsible for doing the recommended work themselves.
If evacuating residents becomes necessary, the GAEMP has an excellent community plan in place, but the season and the nature of the emergency, be it wildfire, flood or more, dictates where residents would be sent.
Hale says it is important to note that the GAEMP is not a first responder service like Golden Fire Rescue, the BC Ambulance Service or RCMP. The GAEMP provides emergency planning, mitigation, preparedness and recovery for the geographical area which encompasses the Town of Golden and Area A. The Town administers the emergency program through an agreement with CSRD and the organization and plan are reviewed annually by a regional representative of Emergency Management BC.
To stay informed with reliable, up-to-date information during an emergency, including evacuation alerts or orders, check the Town of Golden website at golden.ca, follow the town on Facebook or Instagram, follow local media sources and sign up for Alertable at https://www.csrd.bc.ca/alertable.
To contact Kyle Hale directly, call 250-344-7473 or send an email to Kyle.hale@goldeneoc.ca.
