The Kimberley Fire Department will be applying for a $25,000 grant to purchase Emergency Operations Centres equipment.
As explained to Council in a report from Fire Chief Rick Prasad, an emergency operations centre is a physical location where representative come together during an emergency to coordinate response and recovery actions and resources, support emergency response personnel in the field, and coordinate all official communications regarding the emergency. Under the Emergency Program Act, municipalities are responsible for responding to emergencies in their area.
The Union of British Columbia Municipalities is currently accepting applications to provide funds to upgrade EOCs.
Prasad notes that during the city wide evacuation alert in 2018, it became apparent that local capacity must be built to ensure business continuity, support local resources and prepare for evacuation.
In 2019, the City of Kimberley purchased the bare essentials to provide the foundation for a local EOC. Staff have received training and emergency plans have been updated. The grant will provide upgrades for technology and office equipment for the local mobile City of Kimberley EOC.
The total project is estimated at $25,930, so if the grant application is successful, almost 100 per cent of the cost would be covered.