Message From Our Mayor about Fire
By kathy moore
Hey all- I know the smoke is intense these days but the danger is far away from us (despite the ash on my desk!) City staff is monitoring the emergency updates and progress of all fires in the Southern Interior. We will know, well in advance, if anything is a threat to Rossland.
However, it’s good to be prepared: IF there was an emergency close to Rossland there are systems in place to deal with it:
1. We would establish an Emergency Operations Centre (at the arena) Mike Maturo and Parry Lafond would work together to coordinate the City’s response.
2. We would notify the local and Provincial emergency response teams which would activate a lot of support and resources beyond what our city can do. The Southeast Provincial Regional Emergency Operations Centre would be involved.
3. The City would issue regular communications and updates through press releases. The public would be notified through all media channels including the City’s website, the RDKB website, CBC, the Telegraph and all local radio stations.
4. If a fire was threatening our municipal boundaries an Evacuation Alert would be issued to let people in effected areas know that they should be prepared to evacuate. This would be done through the media as well as by door-to-door notification by the RCMP and other emergency workers.
5. If the fire continued to be a threat, actual Evacuation Notices would be issued. Again, through the media and door to door contact. This would be the time that people are required to evacuate and they must comply.
Our city staff just underwent an intensive emergency preparedness course within the last month and they are up to date with the necessary steps to handle an emergency situation.
This all sounds very dire, and hopefully our community will not be impacted by fires, but it pays to be ready and informed. Just as a matter of personal security, everyone should have their valuable documents secured and have a plan if you should be required to leave your home. Make sure all family members know where to meet in case of separation, have water and a full tank of fuel in your vehicle and of course, have a plan for your pets as well.
