Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling
Premier's Award

Emergency Management BC shares Premier’s Award with City of Kamloops

May 7, 2019 | 5:21 PM

KAMLOOPS — In recognition of Kamloops’s efforts to help out during the 2017 wildfire and flooding seasons, the Central Region of Emergency Management BC has received the Premier’s Award for Organizational Excellence.

The award was presented during a delegation at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Representatives from Emergency Management BC thanked the City of Kamloops for its partnership in welcoming thousands of wildfire evacuees from all over the region.

“It actually felt fantastic to see the people who are my friends and elected officials and the staff and volunteers within the City of Kamloops to recognize them in council chambers today and say, ‘Well done,'” said EMBC Senior Regional Manager Peter Prendergast. “As a valued partner with the province, we as a team won this award and we’re proud of it.”

During the summer of 2017, Kamloops welcomed more than 10,000 evacuees from communities like Williams Lake, Clinton and Cache Creek.

As fires threatened homes and businesses, people fleeing the flames were given a safe place to stay and the resources needed to survive until able to return home.

“The City of Kamloops and the people of this city did an unbelievable job, came to the call of people in their time of need and for that I think every single citizen in the city of Kamloops can be proud of that,” said Dan Sutherland, emergency program coordinator for the City of Kamloops. “Our elected officials and the support that we received from them, the support we received from the Province of British Columbia and the Emergency Management team was unprecedented and just outstanding.”

The city will be celebrating Emergency Preparedness Day on Saturday at the Aberdeen Mall parking lot, with more than two dozen emergency service and partner organizations on site to talk about how to prepare for future emergencies.