The 2023 wildfire season strained B.C.’s emergency support services program — so much so that changes are being made for 2024.
The wildfire season of 2023 was an unprecedented one, both in B.C. and right across the country, so much so that it put significant strain on the provincial Emergency Support Services program. As Ben Low-On reports, changes have now been made to make dealing with wildfire evacuations much easier for displaced residents.During last year’s wildfires, evacuees complained about long lines, slow processing systems and conflicting information about accommodations via ESS.
“We saw a lot of changes that needed to occur because of what we saw last year,” said Jason Bedell, an ESS supervisor for the Kelowna Fire Department.“We had conversations with the province, and I’m happy to say that there are a lot of changes coming that will help us provide resources to evacuees.
West Kelowna city council requested a review of last year’s wildfire from the regional district, and de Jong is looking forward to seeing that information. “And going through it to see if there is anything else we can learn from that report and from the key findings of that report, that we are actioning all the key recommendations,” he said.‘Flesh-eating bacteria’ disease spreads in Japan, killing some in 2 days“This will allow evacuees to go on their smartphones or laptops and do the whole process by themselves without having to see an ESS responder,” Bedell said.
BC Wildfire Emergency Support Services Canada
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