As wildfires continue to ignite around the province and in the Southeast Fire Centre, it is important for families to have an emergency evacuation plan in case things hit a little too close to home.
This can include having a plan in place for yourself and your family in terms of where to go, what to bring, and having a plan for all pets and livestock in case of the need to evacuate your home or property.
As it stands, there are no wildfires threatening the Town of Golden, but Town of Golden emergency program coordinator says it is better to be safe than sorry.
“They shouldn’t be worried, they should be prepared,” he said about the Town’s residents. “Families should have an emergency preparedness plan. That really starts with making sure they are properly insured.”
If a homeowner’s dwelling is insured for fire, it means there is less stress on the person who might have to leave suddenly. In many cases, people aren’t familiar with their insurance coverage, and can get some ease of mind from knowing that in the event of a fire, their home and belongings are covered.
“If the house is insured for fire, you just walk away from it. If not, it might be more stress,” Hale said. “Most people, if they have home insurance, they are insured for wildfire, but not all. It really depends.”
Next to having proper insurance, Hale says it is important to consider the needs of the family. This includes knowing what to bring for children, how to properly take care of the elderly, and packing backup medications that might be necessary. Pets and livestock also have specific needs that must be met after an evacuation. Having extra food and necessities will help in the event of an evacuation.
“It’s probably the number one reason people don’t evacuate, because they are afraid of leaving their pets,” he said.
Having a “grab and go” bag can be especially useful to people facing evacuation. In this bag, Hale suggests packing extra toothbrushes and toothpaste, medications, and important paperwork like insurance documents and birth certificates. Keeping these important pieces of information in a fire proof safe can help as well.
“If you can grab all of that, then you’re set,” he said.
Having a plan in place of where to go when facing evacuation can come in useful. When wildfire threatens a community, the local authority will set up a check in station and often provides temporary accommodation, but having somewhere comfortable can help people in the face of emergency.
There aren’t any wildfires currently affecting the Golden community, but recent lightning has ignited some areas, which have mostly been contained. When a fire threatens a community, there are two types of notices. An evacuation alert lets the community know that there is the possibility that it might be evacuated at an moment, putting residents on standby. The evacuation alert is delivered by media like radwio, TV, and newsprint. An evacuation order lets people know it is time to leave immediately, and is delivered door to door to everyone in the affected area. Information about both of these alerts can be found at www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca.
