VICTORIA – BC NDP MLAs Grace Lore and Lana Popham say that more Emergency Support Services (ESS) responders in Victoria will be prepared to provide support to evacuees during emergencies thanks to new streamlined training and increased ESS funding.
“Climate-related emergencies are becoming more frequent and we must be prepared,” said Grace Lore, MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill. “By training more volunteers and upgrading services, we can make sure support is there if our family, friends, or neighbours need to evacuate.”
The B.C. government is launching a one-day training model for ESS responders in response to feedback from communities and input from the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies starting May 4. The new training condenses the current week-long training model, allowing people to rapidly become trained as an ESS responder during emergencies, which will make the training more accessible for many people who want to be volunteers. The course will prepare new ESS responders to provide trauma-informed and culturally safe support both in-person or by phone, which will help provide more ESS responders across B.C. in places that might not have a large volunteer capacity.
The government is also supporting almost 100 local ESS projects with more than $3.27 million through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF). Funding will help communities expand their capacity to provide ESS, as well as support the modernization of their ESS program to include more digital and remote support options.
The City of Victoria and the District of Saanich are receiving $29,874 and $30,000, respectively, for ESS modernization.
“The modernization of Emergency Support Services is an important step in British Columbia to build capacity to support communities in a time when climate related emergencies, like wildfires and floods, are becoming increasingly common,” said Lana Popham, MLA for Saanich South. “The ability for volunteers to support evacuees both in-person or by phone will allow British Columbians from across the province to support those in need, in our community and beyond.”
The CEPF helps communities to better prepare for and mitigate the impacts of climate-related emergencies by funding local projects and initiatives in several categories. These include disaster-risk reduction and climate adaptation, public notification and evacuation-route planning, and emergency operations centre equipment and training.The Province has invested $369 million into the CEPF since its establishment in 2017. Approximately $176 million has been provided to First Nations and local governments through the CEPF for more than 1,800 projects. This includes over $13.5 million to support local ESS teams.