The Regional District Central Okanagan (RDCO) is launching a public awareness and engagement campaign as the freshet and wildfire seasons approach.
Staff told the RDCO Board at its April 11 meeting that the initiative aims to assess and enhance residents鈥� preparedness for emergencies.
鈥淭he overarching goal is to encourage communities to take steps to be better prepared,鈥� said Kari O鈥橰ourke, communications officer.
Campaign goals include ensuring residents know where to get emergency information, how to put together a 72-hour emergency kit, and how to support neighbours.
Referencing the McDougall Creek wildfire, West 琉璃神社 May Gord Milsom said he would like evacuation, alert and emergency services registration information put out quickly during an emergency.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know when we鈥檙e going to be faced with another wildfire, but it鈥檚 on the minds of our residents, particularly after last year,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e want to make sure they know what to do if they鈥檙e called upon to leave their homes again.鈥�
The NDP government was criticized for a backlog of evacuees waiting for support and accommodation during the McDougall Creek fire.
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Milsom鈥檚 neighbour to the south, Peachland Mayor Patrick Van Minsel pointed out that while communication is key, getting the public鈥檚 attention is equally important.
He used the low turnout for his community鈥檚 FireSmart Open House on April 6 as an example.
鈥淎 hundred of my residents, it鈥檚 not even one per cent of the total population,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he way that we found is best to communicate with them, is having a newsletter direct in their mailbox.鈥�
Van Minsel added the board could also lobby senior government for additional funding for wildfire mitigation work.
A grant for residents to FireSmart their properties was recently increased to $1,000 from $500. Lake Country Mayor Blair Ireland felt that amount is still not enough.
鈥淢any of these private properties are like guns pointed at our communities and their neighbours,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not incentivizing those people enough.鈥�
The Community Readiness Public Engagement runs from April 15 to May 12 and will include open houses, and media campaigns.
Additional resources are available on the and websites.
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