Thirteen(and one very well-behaved dog) joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome our Emergency Planning folks, Jennifer Carvill, Electoral Area Emergency Services Coordinator, and John Wakefield, our Salt Spring Emergency Management Lead. John offered our Territorial Acknowledgement, reminding us of the First Nations’ reverence for connection, that same interconnectedness that will support us as we navigate emergencies. 

After we had a chance to introduce ourselves, Jennifer and John shared what “excited and delighted” them. Jennifer told us of her love of her job, a passion that extended to the wildlife and pets that are impacted and must be protected during emergency times. John also spoke of his love of his role helping us prepare – and survive – emergencies with the least trauma and loss possible. He has been our emergency management lead for five years as well as a local Pod coordinator for 14 years. 

A significant event for John was seeing the fire that consumed the Lodge of the Cottages at Bullock Lake some years ago from his nearby home, realizing that he did not know exactly what to do to protect himself and his home. He is hopeful that, with the education, preparations, and alert systems offered by our Emergency Program (https://www.crd.ca/programs-services/fire-emergency/electoral-area-emergency-management/salt-spring-island-emergency-program), others will not have to experience the same fear and uncertainty. He also loves May, his favourite month, a time of lush growth, gentle breezes, and, though still busy, a respite from winter and summer hazards. 

We then began to learn a bit about the multi-level CRD emergency preparedness programs, comprised of regional; a sub-regional serving the Electoral Areas, Salt Spring, Southern Gulf Islands, and Juan de Fuca; and local programs with Salt Spring’s coordinated by John. 

Jennifer’s sub-regional role with the three Electoral Areas includes: 

1. Ensuring that the Victoria-based Emergency Operations Centre is prepared, ready, and willing to support emergency operations on Salt Spring as well as the other two Electoral Areas. 
2. Also ensuring that provincial emergency services provide timely and adequate support to Salt Spring and the other two Electoral Areas when needed.
3. Building relationships with other agencies so that partnerships are in place for both preventative initiatives as well as emergencies. (Later in our conversation, it was noted that other agencies, like BC Hydro and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, could become important emergency preparedness partners reducing our risk of wildfire by removing the highly-flammable and plentiful invasives on their properties). 
4. Providing Electoral Area-wide education on emergency preparedness, the core of which is knowing your neighbours, building connections with them, and helping (and welcoming help) in emergency times.      

Added to this core of connection with our neighbours are four tasks:

1. Know the hazards that are most likely to impact you. While the province has identified a whopping list of 57 hazards, knowing the hazards that are most likely to threaten you is a key factor in determining your emergency plan. To identify these most likely hazards, there are plentiful resources and maps identifying them. Weather, wildfire, earthquakes and tsunami’s are the top hazards in our area. Confused by all the information? Reach out to John (SSIEPC@crd.bc.ca), he can help! 
2. Prepare your Grab and Go Bags and replenish home-based supplies (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/preparedbc/build-an-emergency-kit-and-grab-and-go-bag). Do not forget to prepare for your furry family members as well, okay? We learned later in our conversation that, while some emergencies require evacuation, most will require you stay at home if possible. To be prepared to“shelter in place,” you will need enough food and water to sustain you for two weeks. If your area is under an Evacuation Order, grab your Grab and Go Bag(s) and leave, taking your pets. Worried about your farm animals? You may qualify for government assistance with the emergency movement of livestock (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/programs/premises-id
3. Make plans. For example, know the nearest high ground in threat of a flood, evacuation routes in case of a wildfire. You would be wise to identify your area’s most likely hazards and determine how to address each of them. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/preparedbc/guides-and-resources
4. Maintain connections with your neighbours. In an emergency, these connections can be lifesaving.  

Our Salt Spring Emergency Program has changed significantly in the past few years – all for the better. Some years ago, this program was housed in the basement of the government building on Lower Ganges Road, an earthquake-vulnerable location with a high risk of being unusable in an emergency like an earthquake. Now housed in the SIMS (former Middle School) on high ground with a seismic retrofit, the smart plan is to have multiple locations to increase the likelihood of being able to continue operations in an emergency. To acquire this desired alternate location, negotiations with our Fire District are in progress to secure a small space in the new firehall. This new firehall is the perfect location for emergency services as it is a post-disaster building on land outside of the flood zone. In addition, the even-stronger relationship with our First Responders due to daily proximity is expected to be priceless. 

Still functioning on a modest budget, the engine of our Emergency Program is its volunteers, totaling a whopping 380, mostly Pod coordinators but also emergency evacuation and communications volunteers. And, the heart is John who, through his passion for emergency preparedness coupled with his patience, focus on building strong community relationships, and readiness to do whatever it takes has led our program to its current high level of preparedness. 

So, tell us a bit more about these Pods. . . . Most Salt Spring neighborhoods have a Pod with either a single coordinator or co-coordinators, connecting an estimated 6,000 Salt Springers. Some are very active, communicating frequently (some even with a website), enjoying regular get-togethers, maintaining the contact information of all who care to share it, and even supporting preventative initiatives like FireSmart. Aware of privacy rules, John and his team do not communicate directly with Pod members; Instead, they share information, newsletters, and alerts with the Pod coordinators for them to distribute. 

While most in the room were a part of a Pod, a few had no idea if a Pod even existed in their neighborhood. If you are curious, you can contact Amy MacLeod, the Pod Program Lead, https://crd.checkbox.ca/salt-spring-island-pod-program-contact-form, who will guide you to your local coordinator. No Pod in your neighborhood? You may want to reach out to Amy (ssidpod@crd.bc.ca) to offer to help as a Pod coordinator.

And, emergencies are very likely to buffet Salt Spring. As a result of our climate crisis, natural events that would have been minor in the past – like heat becoming a “heat dome” and rain turning into serious flooding – are impacting us more and more frequently. There was the desire in the group to know where to go, what to do. . . . We learned from John and Jennifer that each emergency is different and that listing reception/warming/cooling centres or evacuation sites before an event could have the unintended consequence of having folks show up unexpectedly before an emergency has been called, finding the designated centre unprepared. 

Instead, we were asked to sign up to get alerts when needed. First, sign up for Alertable (https://alertable.ca/signup/index.html?site=BC7#alertMessage), free and Canada-wide, so you can stay informed about alerts even when traveling. After signing up for this free, widely-used alert system, you also have a plethora of choices of other emergency information. A good way to begin may be to familiarize yourself with the CRD Emergency Dashboard (https://emergency.crd.ca/), a multi-faceted (and quite interesting) source of all emergency information across the CRD. Worried about depending upon the internet and cell service in an emergency? Our CHiR.fm will also carry emergency alerts. What about getting a radio with battery backup? Not sure which alert(s) to use? Our emergency program team can help you prioritize the many options for emergency information. 

Want to report an emergency? Call 911 immediately. Your information, combined with the information of others, will help our emergency team be where they are needed as soon as possible. 

In an emergency, can those rushing to help find your home? Did you know that you are required to have a reflective, bi-directional address sign in front of your home – not just that attractive rock with a number on it? Most likely, you did not know that there is an easy, at-cost, option for you. Check it out: https://saltspringfire.com/public-education/residential-address-signs/.

As our time together was drawing to a close, we had a lively conversation about a core value of our Emergency Program: prevention. While there are a wide variety of preventative measures you can take, a very effective one is our FireSmart program: https://saltspringfire.com/firesmart-ssi/. Offered by our local firefighters and funded by the province through CRD and passed to our Fire District, you can schedule a free assessment of the fire dangers on your property. Firefighters will assess your home, walk your property, and send you a detailed report of what you need to do to better protect your home from wildfire. Then, this program may even offer a rebate once you have proven that you have completed some or all of the recommended work. Getting paid to protect your property? While many at this ASK Salt Spring gathering were shocked and maybe even a bit doubtful, those who had been FireSmarted spoke with great enthusiasm about this unique opportunity.

Our time over for this week, we left well satisfied by the lively conversation, far better informed about protective steps we should take, and excited (rather than simply feeling guilty) about the simple things that we can do to protect ourselves. A clear result of the love Jennifer and John have for their jobs, enhanced by their clarity about options, ability to develop the partnerships needed to protect us, and eagerness to do whatever it takes to be there when emergency strikes, we gave John and Jennifer our grateful acknowledgment for the amazing two hours with them. (Thanks, Jennifer and John!) 

Just in case you are interested. . . .This report has been written by Gayle Baker, founder of ASK Salt Spring, currently also a Salt Spring Local Community Commissioner. It has been reviewed by John and Jennifer.