National Alert Ready System and Predator Ridge Wildfire Evacuation Full Siren Test on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 1:55 PM
Dear Neighbours, Please be advised that a National Alert Ready Test is scheduled for Wednesday November 20, 2024 at 1:55 pm. The Alert Ready system is tested twice a year, once in May and again in November. In addition to television and radio, Alert Ready sends emergency alerts to cell phones and wireless devices that are compatible with Wireless Public Alerting (WPA). To coincide with the Alert Ready test, the City of Vernon Fire Department will be testing the Predator Ridge Wildfire Evacuation Siren.
This Wildfire Evacuation Siren test will be a full-volume audible test of the siren for a total of 3 minutes. The siren will cycle through high and low pitches repetitively for 8 cycles; a total duration of 3 minutes. During the testing, our high power, rotating, unidirectional warning siren sound will fade in out of neighbourhoods as it makes rotations. Please keep in mind that this siren test is only 3 minutes in length. In the event the siren is activated during a wildfire emergency, the siren will sound in continuous 15 minute intervals until it is paused or stopped by authorities.
This is only a test of the siren and Alert Ready, no action is required on your part. For more information on Alert Ready, click here, or visit the Government of BC’s website here. Thank you for supporting your Predator Ridge Community Safety program.
Thank you to MGH Photography for compiling this amazing time-lapse video of the McDougall Creek Fire. In just three short hours this fire spread at incredible speed.
Courtesy of MGH Photography
This is why we have installed the Predator Ridge Wildfire Evacuation Siren!
Dear Neighbour, We wanted to provide you with a community update relating to the current wildfire situation in the Okanagan.
CURRENT UPDATE & PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES
There has been no change in risk levels at Predator Ridge. Vernon Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) continues to be positioned at Fire Station #3 at Predator Ridge, as a command post with Deputy Chief and crew. The team continues to proactively monitor our community through 30-minute patrols and Fire Station #3 will be staffed 24-hours/day until the threat levels drop.
As per the latest emergency release from the Regional District of the Central Okanagan, a stage 4 water restriction has been put in place throughout the region. We are not under a restriction at Predator Ridge, however, we strongly encourage you to reduce your water consumption. This will ensure that if required, we can conserve the water in our reservoir for fire fighting purposes. See below for a link to the CORD emergency news conference for full details.
UPDATES AND WHERE TO FIND CURRENT INFORMATION
CITY OF VERNON RESOURCES
It is important to keep yourself updated with the latest information from official sources. If you haven’t already, please register to receive alerts from COV directly through:
The Alertable Community Notifications system, which will provide you with emergency notifications including evacuation alerts or orders that are issued within the City’s municipal boundary. Learn more at: Vernon.ca/Alertable
Register to receive alerts from the City of Vernon directly to your inbox by subscribing at: Vernon.ca/Subscribe
Follow the City of Vernon social media channels (@CityOfVernon) on Facebook and Instagram.
CENTRAL OKANAGAN EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
The current wildfires in the Okanagan are all located in the Regional District of the Central Okanagan. For up-to-date information please visit CordEmergency.ca. You can also follow them on Twitter (@CO_Emerg).
For more details on the fire situation, we encourage you to watch the official Emergency News conference released at 11am this morning. This can be viewed at the link below or via their YouTube channel (@regionaldistrict).
GOVERNMENT OF BC
Earlier this afternoon, the Government of BC released their BC Wildfire Update. This can be viewed on the link below or via their YouTube channel (@GovernmentofBC)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT EVACUATION ALERTS & ORDERS
We have received a lot of questions regarding what do to in the case of an Evacuation Alert or Order.
As per the Government of BC, if an Evacuation Alert is in place, be ready to leave on short notice and take the following steps:
Move patio furniture, cushions and door mats indoors.
Connect garden hoses and fill large containers with water, such as pools, hot tubs and garbage cans. This can assist firefighters and help slow advancing flames.
Ensure your house number is visible. This will help firefighters locate your home quickly.
Disconnect automatic garage door openers so doors can be opened by hand if you lose power.
Clean around the exterior of your property and remove any dry debris in your yard and if possible, clean out your gutters.
If you have a roof sprinkler system, please have it set up, but do not turn on your water. In the case of an emergency, fire fighters will turn the system on. Leaving your water running puts our entire community at risk. We run off a gravity fed reservoir, which requires pumps to fill from the lake. If those pumps lose power or fail, we will be left with only the water currently in the reservoir.
NOW MORE THAN EVER, we are grateful to have our local evacuation siren installed and a tool readily available for our community. As a reminder, in the event that we are placed on an Evacuation Order, we will be notified:
through the Alertable app and above channels
through command post personnel (boots on the ground)
and our local siren will be activated
HAVE YOU MADE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE SIREN?Due to some innovative cost savings, and further in-kind contributions by Predator Ridge, we are now only $6,000 short of our needed funding for the siren.
If you have not had an opportunity to contribute, we still need all members of our community to do their part and CONTRIBUTE to this invaluable community resource.
We are currently being challenged with staffing levels due to evacuations in Kelowna and Lake Country, where a significant amount of our team resides. We have had to make the decision to limit our onsite amenities as follows:
Range Lounge & Grill remains open with a limited menu. We will be closing at 8:00pm this evening.
Pallino’s is closed until further notice.
Turning Point and Outlook Cabin are closed until further notice.
Commonage Market is well stocked with our chef-prepared frozen foods from both Range Lounge & Grill and Pallino’s. Hours of operation remain as normal, open from 6:00am – 8:00pm.
Our focus is to ensure the safety of our community we will provide you with further updates when we receive them. We encourage you to stay connected with official sources, as provided above.
Sincerely, The Predator Ridge Management Team AND Your Predator Ridge Community Safety (PRCS) Committee Gordon Wilson Jane Toppozini Karen Grimsrud Robert Scott Gord Ball
Predator Ridge Community Emergency Evacuation Siren
HISTORY:
Dear Homeowners, Our 2021 wildfire season was an exhausting one on many fronts. We experienced unseasonable hot dry weather, a wave of unpredictable forest fires and smoke throughout our entire province. Thankfully, we had a bit of a reprieve this past summer, however forecasted trends in weather patterns show hotter and dryer summers ahead with an increased risk of wildfire.
In an ongoing attempt to keep all our residents safe, Predator Ridge Community Emergency Management Committee (PRCEMC) looked at additional avenues to enhance our community’s safety. We have been working with both Predator Ridge and Sparkling Hill, and we have all agreed that although the current technology of using cell phone and email alerts is effective, it may not be the total solution for our community should the City of Vernon ever need to get an emergency alert out to all the guests, visitors and Predator Ridge residents, especially in the middle of the night.
PRCEMC is proud to announce that we have been successful with our proposal to the City of Vernon regarding the acquisition, installation and management of the Predator Ridge Emergency Evacuation Siren (EES). Over the past year we have worked closely with Predator Ridge, Sparkling Hill, and the City of Vernon, and we have all agreed that, although the current technology of using cell phone and email alerts is effective, it may not be the total solution for our community should the City of Vernon ever need to get an evacuation alert out to all guests, visitors and Predator Ridge residents, especially in the middle of the night.
We have looked at other communities that have successfully utilized cell phone and email technology in tandem with an EES to notify their community of imminent danger. Using all these systems together provides far better coverage and peace of mind to all residents.
An updated cost estimate and call for additional bids was undertaken for the acquisition and installation of the EES and related equipment. The final cost of the acquisition and installation is still in line to what had been forecasted at the beginning of the project: $112,000. Based on approximate population estimates of each stakeholder group throughout the fire season (PR Community, PR Resort and Sparkling Hill) we have agreed upon the following fair and equitable contributions to the project.
STAKEHOLDER
CONTRIBUTION
Predator Ridge Residents
60,000.00
Predator Ridge Resort (Wesbuild)
30,000.00
Sparkling Hill Resort
22,000.00
TOTAL PROJECT COST
$112,000.00
Stakeholder Contribution Table
With approximately 750 households in the community, if each household contributes an amount between $75.00 and $100.00, we could easily reach our target goal of $60,000.
We recognize that not everyone’s financial situation is the same, so we ask that you please support as best you can, and if your circumstances allow for additional funds, we would welcome the support. At the end of the day we are all building a better, safer community together.
The EES is scheduled to be installed in April/May for the start of the 2023 Fire Season.
There will be information and educational sessions held this spring to ensure everyone understands the process and procedures should we find our community in an emergency evacuation situation where the EES would need to be activated.
The PRCEMC committee, with the support of City of Vernon staff have made a successful presentation to Mayor and Council asking for a resolution that the City of Vernon Fire Rescue Services adopt the use of the Predator Ridge Emergency Alert Siren as a component of the City’s Emergency Management Program, and that the City of Vernon be the agency responsible for activation of the siren if an evacuation is ordered.
The PRCEMC will now move forward with repricing and securing bids on the siren and installation. Following this we will arrange for an equitable cost sharing agreement with the other stakeholders. The cost apportioned to Predator Residents will be fundraised within the Predator Ridge Community.
Pending a successful fundraising campaign, we aim to have the Evacuation Order Siren operational for the 2023 fire season.
Stay tuned for additional updates from your PRCEMC as they become available.
