By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle
Emergency operations in the South Okanagan may soon be getting more money for equipment and training.
The Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) approved an application to send to the 2024 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Community Emergency Preparedness Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Training & Equipment grant.
This grant is for up to $30,000 to go towards various equipment and staff training for EOC operations in the South Okanagan. This grant opportunity would require the RDOS to match any funding received.
The report to the RDOS board noted there is an ongoing need for emergency response and EOC activation.
If successful, this grant money would allow the RDOS to support continued training and procurement of resources, such as additional laptops and associated hardware, storage for EOC workstations; emergency supply kits for EOC staff; and safety check-in technology for field liaisons operating in remote areas.
The grant will be added to the already existing annual EOC training that already takes place for the purposes of continued education and staff turnover. The funding will allow “further training in functional EOC exercises to assist with staff development”, the report notes.
The Emergency and Disaster Management Act requires all local governments to establish and operate an emergency management program.
The RDOS is the lead for emergency management in the South Okanagan and Similkameen. The integrated emergency program brings together municipal and regional staff, along with volunteers, first responders, First Nations, and non-government agencies to train and exercise together in preparations for any large-scale emergencies or disasters.
Often during disasters such as wildfires, an EOC is set up to support the management of the disaster and assist those impacted by it. The EOC is responsible for declaring any local states of emergency, coordinating, providing media releases and managing evacuees.
