SOUND OFF: Making wildfire season safer for B.C.

Everyone should learn about any potential hazards around their home community and think about how to be best prepared. By creating grab-and-go bags for household members, building a household emergency kit, making an emergency plan, and ensuring your insurance coverage meets your needs, you can be as prepared as possible in the case of an emergency.

People in some areas impacted by wildfires may need to be temporarily evacuated for their safety, and the safety of emergency responders. Evacuation orders and alerts can be distressing, and our goal is to always work with local authorities to make the experience as smooth as possible for you and your family and enable you to return home as soon as it is safe. While most people who are evacuated have the resources they need through their home or renter’s insurance, some people may need support for their basic needs such as accommodation, food, and clothing– the Emergency Support Services (ESS) program is here to help people needing these resources. People can pre-register for ESS online now, making it faster and easier to access supports should you and your family be evacuated. Visit ESS.gov.bc.ca to pre-register.

We encourage everyone to check that their home or renter’s insurance is up to date with coverage for wildfire damage and losses; this is the best way to make sure you and your family are protected in an emergency.

If you are placed under evacuation alert, it is important to listen to local emergency officials for information on the situation as it unfolds, and to check EmergencyInfoBC or your local government’s or First Nation’s website or social media for up-to-date information on alert and evacuations. This is the time to check your grab-and-go bags and prepare you and your loved ones to leave should an evacuation order be necessary. While we know it’s hard to leave your home, when an evacuation order is issued, it’s time to go, and you can keep yourself and first responders safe by always following directions of local emergency officials. An order to evacuate is never made lightly and everyone works to get people home as soon as it is safe to do so.

In addition to being prepared, we need people to remain diligent about being fire smart. Follow local fire bans, ensure any matches or cigarettes are fully put out, and, if you see a fire, call *5555.

Being prepared is a team sport. We encourage you to do your part in being personally prepared, ensuring you and your family are ready and resilient. And know that the province is here to support you, your family, and your community. We are actively working with communities to prepare and respond to emergencies throughout the province 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

I hope this information and these resources help you to keep safe and healthy this summer, and you can enjoy this time knowing that you and your family are prepared for any emergency that comes our way.

by Kelly Greene, Minister for Emergency Management and Climate Readiness

SOUND OFF: Making wildfire season safer for B.C.

Our Community