By Adam Donnelly

Simulated emergency helps Kamloops first responders train

Mar 7, 2017 | 9:30 AM

KAMLOOPS — How safe are you in case of an emergency? This weekend at McArthur Island, emergency services personnel from the City of Kamloops, as well as the Canadian Red Cross held a simulation exercise, to ensure their readiness in case of a widespread emergency event in the city.

it’s the worst case scenario for residents in certain parts of the city: an interface fire event has triggered an evacuation order for a neighbourhood like Juniper Ridge. This weekend, ESS from the city, as well as the Canadian Red Cross held an exercise, which simulated that exact scenario.

“We’ve had a number of small spot fires, interface fires, in the Juniper Ridge area, for exercise, of course,” Assistant Fire Chief Dan Sutherland explained. “we’ve had a wind event, and those [smaller] fires have amalgamated into one… To be safe, we’ve evacuated the residents of Juniper, approximately 3500 people, in simulation of course, and now they’re all coming… to McArthur Island, where we’re processing them and putting them in group lodging as required.”

The focus of the event was the collaboration between the Red Cross and city in case of a real emergency, and how each organization can support one another when something like this occurs

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“It’s absolutely crucial to understand each others roles and responsibilities,” Kayla Pepper, Disaster Management Coordinator with the Canadian Red Cross explained. “In a case like today, we’re dealing with the human consequences side of a disaster. So we have the first responders on the front lines, they get the people out of harm’s way, and it’s our job to take care of those people.”

Considering the speed at which fire ripped through the community of Ft McMurray in the summer of 2016, exercises like this are crucial for members of both organizations. Especially considering most of those on the front lines of dealing with evacuees are volunteers.

“We try and have training sessions several times a year, but this is one of the biggest that we, as a current group have participated in,” Lyn Arikado told CFJC Today. Arikado is a co-director of Emergency Support Services with the City of Kamloops. “It’s a real opportunity to learn, to train and to build capacity.”

As the exercise winds down, members of each team gather to break down each others performances during the day’s simulation. Dan Sutherland says this type of training ensures the safety of residents when a real emergency strikes.

“If we don’t have those coordination and lines of communication set up, understood… we won’t be ready when we’re called upon to assist those citizens of Kamloops.”