City of Vernon

IN AN EMERGENCY DIAL 911

Welcome to the City of Vernon Emergency Management webpage.
As a branch of Vernon Fire Rescue Services, Emergency Management's mandate is to safeguard the public, reduce suffering, protect property, mitigate damage to the environment, and limit the social and economic consequences of emergencies and disasters. The Emergency Management Branch also promotes community emergency preparedness through training, maintenance of an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), and a variety of other preparedness initiatives.

Emergency OP Centre video

As an emergency or natural disaster can happen at any time, the best approach is to "BE PREPARED." One of our Emergency Management goals is to encourage every resident to prepare a plan to minimize the effects of a disaster (fire, flood, hazardous materials spill, etc.), as you may have to look after yourself for 72 hours or longer until services or supplies are restored. Temporarily, you may have to leave your home and go to an evacuee reception center for help with food, clothing or lodging. Our reception centre is located at the Recreation Complex, 3310 - 37 Ave.

This page contains numerous links to some of the best emergency preparedness and emergency management sites on the internet. Pre-recorded, emergency preparedness and hazard information is also available 24hrs a day at 250-550-3232.

Thank you for visiting the Vernon Emergency Management webpage. Check back often, as new material, links and messages are added and updated regularly.

Best Regards,
Brent Watson
Emergency Management
Vernon Fire Rescue Services
250-550-3246
BWatson@vernon.ca

Emergency Updates:

H1N1 - At this time, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers the overall severity of the H1N1-09 influenza pandemic to be moderate. This assessment is based on scientific evidence available to WHO, as well as input from its Member States on the pandemic's impact on their health systems, and their social and economic functioning. Please see the H1N1 link above for more information.

It is recommended that you be prepared at home in case you become ill. Listed below are a few things to have on hand to make your stay at home while recovering from the flu, including H1N1, a little easier:

Plenty of fluids including juice, sports drinks and broth, like chicken soup
Books, magazines, games and DVDs to pass the time
Enough groceries to last for at least 10 days. Focus on nutritious and easy to prepare snacks and meals
Extra tissue, liquid hand-sanitizer and household disinfectants for cleaning
Fever/flu medication (such as Acetaminophen or Tylenol, and Ibuprofen or Advil) and nasal decongestants
Medications to stop diarrhea and vomiting
A thermometer
Any other prescription medications or essential items you may require

Vernon/Coldstream ESS:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Charles Dickens could also be describing the experience that many ESS volunteers have during local emergencies. ESS was created to provide short term assistance to British Columbians who are forced out of their homes due to fires, floods, earthquakes or other emergencies. Our role is to help people during a very difficult and stressful time in their lives. We are the 'people' part of emergency response.

There are many roles that volunteers can help fill within the ESS team for Vernon/Coldstream. They range from working directly with evacuees in registration, to connecting evacuees with their families/friends to providing food, allocating resources and support at Reception Centres to scheduling tasks or people.

Broadly, ESS volunteers are people committed to the wellbeing of others.

We welcome inquiries about becoming part of the Vernon/Coldstream ESS team. Each potential volunteer will meet with the leadership team so you can meet us and we can get to know you, your skills and what you can contribute to our community. ESS teams are required to handle sensitive, confidential information; and therefore we will ask for personal references and clearances before you start.

For more information, please email ESS Volunteer Coordinator at involved2@shaw.ca.

Basic Requirements to become an ESS Volunteer

Transportation:
Because emergencies can happen at any time of day or night, ESS volunteers must have their own transport so that they can attend where needed.

Attendance at Training:
Volunteers must be willing to attend training in at least one area of service to insure that we meet the expectations of the Provincial Emergency Program requirements.

Have a phone and preferably email:
This is needed so that the Volunteer Coordinator or ESS Director can easily contact volunteers and update them on initiatives and training.

Personal attributes:
ESS Volunteers should be flexible, responsible, accountable and physically and emotional capable of handling the demands placed on them during emergencies. The Provincial Emergency Program, of which ESS is a part, uses an Incident Command process to communicate, allocate resources and make decisions. All volunteers need to be comfortable working under this structure which is critical to efficient operations during emergencies.

How To Apply

1) Fill-out ESS Application Form
2) Obtain a Criminal Record Check (free to volunteers from the RCMP Detachment) and a Driver's Abstract (BC Access Centre)
3) Drop-off completed application package:

Attention: Emergency Support Services
City of Vernon - Corporate Services Building
2900-32nd Avenue

Vernon EOC Operations
Forms
Emergency Declarations

Emergency Preparedness

Personal and Neighborhood

Hazard
Wildfire

Disease
HAZMAT
Floods
Sandbag video "you tube"
Earthquake
Avalanche
Emergency Preparedness for Pets
Emergency Preparedness for Business and Industry

Sites of Interest
Vernon Weather Forecast
Fire Danger Rating
Emergency Management Education
Key Agency Links
Link to Vernon Maps

Media
1075 Kiss fm
The Sun Online
Castanet
CHBC news

City Hall
Operations
Public Safety
Lifestyles