The 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire (stock photo courtesy of B.C. Wildfire Service)

By Liam Verster

Wildfire Support Enhancements

McDougall Creek wildfire helped shape emergency support improvements: B.C. Government

Aug 21, 2024 | 3:26 PM

B.C.’s emergency preparedness minister said the wildfire in West Kelowna last summer offered some key lessons for improving emergency support services.

Speaking at a wildfire update press conference Wednesday, August 21, Bowinn Ma said the McDougall Creek wildfire was a big learning experience for the province.

“We enhanced Emergency Support Services [this year], learning from the experience of the Central Okanagan when we had mass evacuations that resulted in people waiting literally days to access Emergency Support Services,” Ma explained.

“Emergency Support services are meant to be there for people the day that they need it. It’s to help ensure you have a safe place to stay, that you have food, that you’ve got clothing. If you had to leave your home with nothing but the clothes on your back, the government would be there, through Emergency Support Services, to make sure you were able to handle that time away from your home.”

The changes made following the wildfire that burned outside West Kelowna include upgrade to the systems to allow people to access ESS digitally, and enabling ESS monetary support to be send through e-transfers.

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Ma noted many people may still want to access supports through Emergency Reception Centres, but these upgrades provide more flexibility for people forced to leave their homes.

The Minister of Emergency Preparedness also noted recommendations made by the premier’s expert task force on emergencies, gathered through cooperative work with communities and agencies across the province, was ongoing. That included fuel management work, establishing a wildfire fighting and training efforts, incorporating Indigenous knowledge into the work, boost access to equipment and aircraft, and the use of artificial intelligence to predict wildfire activity.

As of Wednesday, there were 352 wildfires burning across B.C., only two of which were ranked as Wildfires of Note, and there were only approximately 18 properties under Evacuation Orders in the entire province.

Ma and Nathan Cullen, the minister of water, land and resource stewardship, stated conditions are much better than those seen last year, with seasonal temperatures and more precipitation through much of the province, though they add conditions are still very dry and advise people take steps to prevent wildfires and conserve water whenever possible.