KENT– New Democrat MLAs Pam Alexis and Kelli Paddon say that new provincial emergency preparedness funding will help improve emergency operation centres, and better equip locals governments and First Nations across the Fraser Valley to respond to emergencies and keep people safe.
Over $3.2 million in funding is being shared among 84 First Nations and local governments to help communities build or upgrade emergency operations centres (EOCs), purchase equipment, or enhance capacity through volunteer recruitment, retention and training.
“Staff, volunteers, and emergency crews at the FVRD have shown how incredibly dedicated they are when facing an emergency. The funding for this dashboard will help with communication and make things easier for both emergency crews and the general public in the wake of a disaster,” said Pam Alexis, MLA for Abbotsford-Mission.
There are 2 projects coming to the area:
The Fraser Valley Regional District is receiving $25,000 in funding for a Disaster Emergency Dashboard. This project will enable the FVRD to leverage information in a readily accessible format to inform Emergency Operation Centre decision-making, and communicate information to the public, such as evacuation alerts and orders. The Dashboard will empower greater understanding of emergency issues in support of smaller communities and First Nations in the region.
The District of Kent will also be receiving $25,000 to replace aging technology assets in its Emergency Operations Centre. Additionally, mobile cell signal boosters will be installed in key District of Kent vehicles to improve communications between incident command posts and the EOC.
“We saw how quickly things can change with last year’s devastating floods and landslides, and I am still blown away by the care of our emergency response teams here in Chilliwack-Kent. These upgrades to our emergency technology systems, especially in our smaller communities and First Nations, will make the response to emergency situations that much stronger,” said Kelli Paddon, MLA for Chilliwack-Kent.
Budget 2022 provides $2.1 billion to support communities in building back better from recent disasters, and to strengthen defences to make sure people across B.C. are protected from future disasters.
Learn More: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022PSSG0046-001073