Have your say on the future of emergency management in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS).

The RDOS board of directors has commissioned a review of the emergency management program to the completed by April 30, 2023. The board is seeking your input via the RDOS Emergency Program Review survey. The survey focuses on how the emergency program is working now, identifying where it needs to go, and what can be done to close the gap. Public meetings will follow the survey.

The online survey is posted on the RDOS Regional Connections interactive website at rdosregionalconnections.ca

Paper copies can be mailed upon request and will be available for pick-up at the following locations:

  • RDOS head office, 101 Martin St., Penticton
  • Osoyoos Town Hall, 8707 Main St., Osoyoos
  • Okanagan Falls Recreation Centre, 1141 Cedar St., OK Falls

The RDOS Emergency Program Review survey closes Friday, February 17.

In 2006, the regional district established a service to provide an emergency management program for the 15 jurisdictions within the RDOS geographic boundaries. Residents and property owners within the RDOS have experienced increasingly frequent and more severe events, and more people are being impacted by these events directly and indirectly. The consensus of hazard, risk, and vulnerability data for BC suggests we can expect this trend to continue and worsen even as we continue to have “good” and “bad” years in terms of the impact of hazard events such as floods and wildfires.

In response to this situation, the Regional Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is operational for longer periods, drawing more staff away from their regular duties to attend to the more urgent priority of public safety. This trend has resulted in increased strain on existing local government staff and resources and strain on the higher number of affected residents and property owners where the hazard event exceeds their ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the event.

Sharing your experience and knowledge through this survey will directly inform the recommendations that arise from this review.

For further information, visit the RDOS Emergency Program Review project page at rdosregionalconnections.ca or contact Greg Bonderud, RDOS Emergency Program Coordinator.

Mark Pendergraft, chair, RDOS