Pitt Meadows has been awarded $25,000 for equipment for the new emergency operations centre (EOC) as part of the province’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF), designed to enhance the resiliency of local governments in responding to emergencies.
Pitt Meadows is just one of 54 local governments or First Nation communities to share in the $1.8 million provincial pie, and Mayor Bill Dingwall is appreciative of the cash infusion.
“In the event of an emergency large or small, the city’s emergency operations centre (EOC) is an integral part of the emergency response to ensure the safety of our community,” Dingwall. said.
“Grants like this are a great support in helping to fund the equipment and resources needed to act quickly and efficiently in an emergency.”
The City of Pitt Meadows has been awarded $25,000 for equipment for the new Emergency Operations Centre as part of the province’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund, designed to enhance the resiliency of local governments in responding to emergencies. https://t.co/81xLjwJxE0 pic.twitter.com/TBuc8n7Wmq
— citypittmeadows (@citypittmeadows) July 5, 2021
The new Pitt Meadows firehall will house the City’s EOC, which will now be outfitted with the new telescoping work stations, once construction is complete, he explained.
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The new EOC room and its work stations will be used for training, and other functions when not being used for emergency purposes.
“Pitt Meadows has done significant work over the past several years to enhance our emergency planning, response, and community preparedness” says Barbara Morgan, manager of emergency programs.
“This funding assists us in the purchase of equipment that will be needed to coordinate the emergency response efforts whether it be for a fire, flood, earthquake, or otherwise.”
VIDEO: Old Pitt Meadows firehall reduced to rubble
The emergency operations centre and training funding stream through the CEPF is administered through the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) to provide funding to local governments and First Nations in BC to support the purchase of equipment and supplies required to maintain or improve EOCs and to enhance EOC capacity through training and exercises.
The intent of the funds is to support eligible applicants to buy equipment and supplies to maintain or improve their emergency operations centres and to enhance the capacity of these local emergency co-ordination hubs through training and exercises, said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
“This funding for emergency operations centres is crucial, and it will give communities a boost in their ability to respond,” Farnworth said.
“Though the approval of funding for these projects has been going on for some time, recent extreme wildfire events demonstrate just how vital emergency operations centres are in responding to emergencies.”
For more information about Pitt Meadows emergency services, people can go online to: pittmeadows.ca/emergencypreparedness.
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