Tag: Planning

Community Safety Update

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.

Government of BC Emergency Evacuee Guidance

THE EMERGENCY EVACUATION SIREN

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.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE SIREN NOW

PREDATOR RIDGE ONSITE AMENITIES & STAFFING CHALLENGES

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

Are You Prepared?

Dear Homeowner, 

Being prepared before and when disaster strikes is something only you can initiate. There are many great resources readily available that will help you understand what potential hazards you might face and what you can do to be prepared for them. However, the responsibility lies with each of us individually to seek out this information and be prepared for the unexpected. 

The following is a list of resource that will help you be better prepared for an emergency: 

◆ Know Your Hazards

Being aware of what hazards you should prepare for is the first step in emergency preparedness. Although severe weather, power outages etc. are factors, one of the most likely and significant threats to our community is wildfire. Because we live in a wild land interface area, it’s important that we are ready and understand what to do before, during and after a wildfire. 
The Wildfire Preparedness Guide is an excellent resource to help you plan for such an emergency. + Click here to access the Wildfire Preparedness Guide

◆  Build a Household Emergency Kit & Grab and Go Bag 

At the onset of a disaster, you might need to stay at home with your emergency kit, or you may need to leave at a moment’s notice with your grab and go bags. Now is the time to gather and organize supplies so you are ready should disaster strike. + Click here to access instructions and videos, on how to build a household emergency kit & grab-and-go bag 

◆  Make Your Emergency Plan

A well thought out emergency plan communicated with everyone in your household can save time (and lives) during an emergency. Everyone will know what to do, where to call and how to stay safe if an emergency were to happen. Make sure to review the plan with each member of your household and involve them in the planning process. Keep a copy of this plan in an easy to find and easy to remember place. If you have out-of-town visitors staying with you during wildfire season – tell them about your plan!

◆  Register with the City of Vernon Connect (NOW) 

The Vernon Connect App is now up and running and available for all devices. Visit the App Store or Google Play to download. Among the many things you can use the app for, the emergency alert feature will kick in if an emergency occurs that requires residents to act. In such cases, the “report a problem” banner changes to read “alert” and the colour changes from green to red. Residents should read the alert to help decide next steps.

If you don’t have a smart phone, you can still subscribe to stay up to date on the latest news and events happening in the Vernon area. + Click here to register.

Guidelines and Best Practices to Help Us,
In the Event an Evacuation Alert or Evacuation Order Is Issued:

Preparing for an Evacuation

Our best defense is a good offence. Be prepared and have a well thought out plan including:

  1. Grab and Go Kits are ready with clothing and valuables 
  2. Written list of who is to do what in house, readily available 
  3. Set up links to monitor for City of Vernon communication and media: 
  4. Preselect a meeting place for your family in case you are separated when an Evacuation Order is called. For example, a local coffee shop, the mall parking lot, a friend or relative’s house, etc. 
  5. Keep the gas tank of at least one personal vehicle always full. 
  6. Make sure you have one or two of your neighbours’ cell phone numbers in case you need to connect with them. 
  7. Also, it is a good idea to have that information handy in case you have a neighbour who is not tech savvy and may need your help accessing the right information. 
  8. Let your neighbour or a community friend know if you are going on vacation so that you can be accounted for if there is ever an evacuation. 
  9. If you can, set up an alternate place to stay, should an evacuation happen (e.g., stay with family or friends in another location). 
  10. Make sure you are registered with Block Watch in the event a phone tree of communication is ever needed. 
  11. There is an alternate emergency exit up at Sparkling Hill, it is currently gated and locked. In the event that it is required during an evacuation, it will be unlocked by authorized EM personal and could be used as our second exit out, if and only if we are instructed to go that way. DO NOT USE this exit, UNLESS we have been given clear instructions to do so.
Stages of Evacuation

There are three (3) stages to an evacuation. 

  1. Alert Stage 
  2. Evacuation Stage 
  3. Evacuation Rescinded Stage 

First and foremost, follow the instructions provided by the local emergency coordinators & responders. You are prepared because you have made an emergency plan and your grab-and-go kits are ready to go. 

Stage 1: Standing by on Alert 
  1. Have your grab-and-go kit ready and packed in the vehicle, along with any personal items that you want to bring with you. 
  2. Cell phone charged and charger, car keys and wallets etc. close by. 
  3. Monitor the City of Vernon media outlets, Vernon Connect, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook for information on evacuation orders and location of Evacuation Reception Centres. 
  4. Check Vernon Castanet online for new updates. 
  5. Monitor local radio stations for updates (Vernon’s Pure Country 105.7 and Beach Radio 107.5 FM). 
  6. Locate all family members and designate a meeting area outside the evacuation area, should an Evacuation Alert or Order be called while separated. 
  7. Arrange transportation for all your household members. Depending on the situation transportation may be provided.
  8. Ensure alternate accommodation for all members of the family are set up and confirmed 
  9. Prepare to move disabled persons, children and/or neighbours. If assistance is needed reach out to first responders. 
  10. Prepare to take pets with you. 
  11. Remove combustibles such as patio cushions, plastics etc. from the exterior of your home. Bring these items inside your home or garage. 
  12. Do not drive towards the danger if it is close by, as it could create congestion and confusion for the first responders.
Stage 2: Order to Evacuate
  1. The order to evacuate usually comes from the City of Vernon Emergency Management Services. Depending on the situation, the order could come from other authorities including the RCMP or BC WildFire Service.  
  2. Emergency officials may instruct you to shut off your utilities, or they may end up being shut off by the utility company to protect the natural gas or electricity systems. Do not shut off your natural gas unless instructed to do so.
  3. Leave the house. Do not try to stay to protect your property, as this just causes more work for the first response personal who are trying to get us all out safely and do their jobs. 
  4. Drive slowly and safely with the traffic, be kind, be calm, let people out of their driveways so we can all get out safely. Drive in an orderly fashion, using the zipper method to allow traffic to flow evenly. 
  5. One vehicle per household will help alleviate the congestion on the streets and roadways. 
  6. Follow the signs if they have had time to place them. If not, watch for emergency personnel who will be directing traffic and evacuation flow. 
  7. Put the OK sign in your window as you leave, lock all the doors and windows. + Click here to download a printable Emergency OK sign 
  8. Once you are safely out of danger and if an Evacuation Centre has been set up, please make sure you register so that Emergency Support Services will have you accounted for. Register your family at the Evacuation Center or online with the Provincial Emergency Support Services at https://ess.gov.bc.ca
Stage 3: Evacuation Rescinded 
  1. The order to rescind the alert or evacuation will come from City of Vernon EMS. 
  2. It will be posted on all City of Vernon communication and media sites and at the Evacuation Centre or Command Post. 
  3. Do not return home until the order has been rescinded.

If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to your PRCEMC online at: PRCEMC.ca/Contact-Us.

Your Predator Ridge Community Emergency Management Committee (PRCEMC)

Jane Toppozini, Gord Wilson, Luiz Araujo, Karen Grimsrud, Robert Scott, Colleen Scott.

Heading Outdoors? … Leave a Plan

How many of us have left the house on a day or weekend trip, biking, camping or some other fun activity without leaving a plan with someone on your whereabouts or trip details.

Preparedness also extends to activities we are doing and there is a great website called AdventureSmart that has excellent information and resources for the outdoor enthusiast. Let’s face it, NO ONE EVER expects to get into trouble outdoors. But, a turn in the weather, mistake in judgment, unexpected injury, equipment failure, or sudden nightfall can quickly change any recreational outing into a crisis. Does anyone know where you have gone and when you expect to return? When things go wrong, you’ll be happy you took the time to properly prepare.

AdventureSmart also has an app that is available  for free in the Apple App Store for iOS devices and on Google Play for Android devices, and can also be accessed from any web browser.

Click to learn about the AdventureSmart trip plan app