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| Original News Release |
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| Original News Release |
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The province experienced three consecutive years of drought conditions culminating in an extraordinary fire risk and extreme fire behaviour in 2003. The Firestorm 2003 emergency had significant impacts on British Columbia communities such as Barriere, Louis Creek and Kelowna, testing the resilience and resourcefulness of British Columbians.
A total of 334 homes and 10 businesses were destroyed and over 50,000 people were evacuated from their homes. The total economic impacts to the province will be measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.
The response involved over 10,000 people from emergency response agencies across B.C. with significant support from other provinces and the federal government. Fire crews and equipment responded from communities all over B.C. to help affected areas. Forestry personnel were augmented by additional staff and the Canadian military to fight the wildfires. As well, many volunteers and community agencies worked to provide help to evacuees and to those that lost their homes and livelihood.
The response by both emergency personnel and the affected communities to the extreme fire danger was exceptional. Overall the system worked well.
But now that the danger has subsided, it is essential to take a closer look at that system and determine what lessons can be learned for the future.
Provincial Review
The province is initiating a review of its response to interface fires in 2003. This review will look at how the province worked to mitigate, plan for, and respond to this type of fire threat.
It will provide government with recommendations on what went well and what the government should consider to improve its planning and response.
The review will gather Information from local communities and from responders. It will also consider information provided by the debriefings conducted by the various agencies and by the local, provincial and federal governments.
The review will be completed by Feb. 15, 2004 and presented to the Office of the Premier. The pertinent recommendations will be implemented in time for the 2004 fire season.
Terms of Reference
The provincial review will focus on prevention, planning and response including the following:
· roles and responsibilities of all levels of government to plan for and respond to interface fires – to determine if the roles and responsibilities are clearly set out and understood by all levels of government. · risk assessment processes for determining the potential for interface fires – to assess the methods used in determining what the risks might be from interface fires and how local governments and the province determine the response to fires threatening communities. · mitigation strategies used for reducing the potential for interface fires, including the development of prevention strategies and hazard, risk and vulnerability assessments. · planning capabilities at the local, provincial and federal level to mitigate the impacts of interface fires (i.e. evacuation planning) – to assess the level of planning and the ability of communities to activate those plans. · command structure for responding to provincial emergencies and disasters – to assess the method of response used by the province in support of local government and the response by local government, including deployment of equipment and personnel; and to assess wildland-urban strategies and tactics for responding to interface fires. · provincial structure required to deal with communications and public information during emergencies and disasters – to determine the timeliness and effectiveness of communications. · training and exercising programs for emergency response to all-hazard emergencies and disasters at the community and provincial level. · role of volunteers in responding to fires – to assess how mechanisms for involving volunteers can be supported and enhanced. · compensation and assistance for the province – to assess the framework for assistance from the federal government for abnormal expenditures by the province.
October 4, 2003
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