Burnaby is more prepared to deal with an emergency in its own backyard after sending emergency services personnel to help with last summer’s catastrophic wildfires in the B.C. Interior, according to the city’s public safety director.
The devastating wildfires sparked a 10-week provincial state of emergency and saw the evacuation of about 45,000 residents and 30,000 farm animals in July and August, according to a report presented to the public safety committee Tuesday.
In total, Burnaby deployed 57 fire department personnel, 109 RCMP members, one City of Burnaby emergency management staffer and three emergency management volunteers to help in the crisis – for a total of 18,714 person hours.
“They faced some very difficult and challenging conditions, and, when I say they represented the city in exemplary fashion, that’s truly an understatement,” public safety director Dave Critchley said. “There’s a couple of examples where our services were used as leaders in the deployment and relied upon in some very key positions, and certainly, they not only did that, but they also gained the experience and brought back to the city and shared that experience throughout their departments, which in turn allows the city to be that much more prepared should we face an emergency.”
Critchley’s report included accounts of firefighters receiving moving messages from thankful children and local Mounties fighting fires and recovering heavy equipment stolen by looters in the evacuation zone.
The report noted all the costs of sending city personnel and equipment to the emergency are recoverable from the provincial government.
It also noted that, at no time during the deployments, was the delivery of fire, police or emergency management services in Burnaby compromised or hampered.
“This was due to comprehensive and detailed planning, dedicated staff and City capacity to respond to emergencies when required,” stated the report.
