Classes from the Fireplace within the Christie Mountains, Penticton – Kelowna Capital Information

The lessons of the fire at Christie Mountain were summarized in a single report.

The Okanagan Similkameen Regional District received the follow-up report and response to the devastating fire on February 4.

Ally Emergency Management provided the report, which came in over 500 people.

The fire was discovered on August 18, 2020 and forced evacuation alarms and orders that affected more than 4,000 households while the RDOS was engaged in the ransom attack on its IT network.

COVID-19 made firefighting even more difficult. Over 200 firefighters from 50 departments and the BC Wildfire Service attacked the fire. At its peak, the fire spread to more than 2,000 acres of land.

One of the report’s achievements was that the fire did not result in death and only one house was lost to the fire.

The report listed 10 key points with the attached recommendations that had come up repeatedly during the follow-up examination.

• Establishment of a joint emergency response center between the City of Penticton and the RDOS
• During the fire, liaison officers, particularly those to coordinate with BC Wildfire, were lacking and lacking standards of procedures and training. More trained cross-agency connections are needed.
• There have been times when the number of agencies involved in the situation made it difficult to communicate and it is recommended that you conduct training for multiple agencies and develop communication protocols.
• Offer better guidelines to the volunteers who employ the Emergency Reception Center to ensure better communication and understanding.
• Improve training and develop better multi-agency training programs.
• Expand the training and involvement of mental health services for future incidents.
• Build a team to specifically consider and manage how COVID-19 affects large-scale events and responses.
• Development of redundant and independent systems in the event of further possible cyber attacks.
• Continue training with the Evacuation Registration and Assistance Program, which is being updated by Emergency Management British Columbia.
• Quick wins like adding an extra laptop, better identification of reception center management, putting together bags for liaison officers, and identifying vendors who can produce food and deliver it to the emergency services.

The fire was classified as a no longer imminent threat to residents by the RDOS Emergency Operations Center on August 31, and the follow-up report noted that some of the areas identified for improvement may have been resolved if the situation had continued.

To report a typo, send an email to: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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