The bus barn at 199 Ellis Street, home of the former Greyhound, could be home to Penticton's main emergency centre. (Google Maple)

Penticton looking to expand list of emergency centres

Additional back-up reception centres would be added to the main facility on Ellis Street

  • May. 30, 2021 12:00 a.m.

The city of Penticton is looking at a mix of old and new locations for hosting emergency centres in the future.

On Tuesday, June 1, council will hear the list of locations and decide whether to approve or reject.

The Christie Mountain Wildfire last year made clear the need to have more than one central emergency operations centre.

The proposed sites would include the use of the city’s bus barn on Ellis Street as the main operations and reception centre in an emergency; the community centre on Power Street as a back-up and triage site; and the fire hall on Dawson Avenue for offices, storage and training.

Staff are also asking that council approve continuing the arrangements with School District 67 to use Princess Margret Secondary School as a backup group lodging or reception centre facility and with the Seniors’ Drop-in Centre as a backup facility during emergencies.

The goal is to have the facilities ready to be incorporated into an emergency response if necessary, and to avoid requiring the city to use its powers under the Emergency Program Act to procure a facility during an emergency.

The City of Penticton’s proposed map of emergency support service reception centres and back-up facilities. (City of Penticton)

The city’s emergency support services are made up of 50 volunteer members who work with 30 community partners during an emergency.

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