RDCO wants $148,000 to prepare against fires, floods and extreme weather

The Regional District of the Central Okanagan is seeking $148,000 to cover emergency support services. In a report to Kelowna city council, the regional district has applied to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities for Community Emergency Preparedness funding. This funding...

RDCO wants $148,000 to prepare against fires, floods and extreme weather
The Regional District of the Central Okanagan is seeking $148,000 to cover emergency support services. In a report to Kelowna city council, the regional district has applied to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities for Community Emergency Preparedness funding. This funding would go towards the regional district’s emergency support services, which respond to events such as wildfires, floods, landslides and extreme heat events. READ MORE: Prescribed burn in Kelowna set for March https://infotel.ca/newsitem/prescribed-burn-in-kelowna-set-for-march/it103381 “In the aftermath of the 2023 Grouse Complex wildfires, there is a clear imperative to enhance knowledge, capacity, resources, and resilience within each regional community,” read the report submitted by Jason Bedell, Emergency Support Services supervisor for the regional district. “Through this funding, we aim to create a cohesive, effective, and efficient regional (emergency support services) response.” The money would cover the purchase of new equipment for volunteers as well as the staging of that equipment at specific locations in each municipality. READ MORE: Westbank First Nation wants to return to prescribed burning https://infotel.ca/newsitem/westbank-first-nation-wants-to-return-to-prescribed-burning/it100421 It would also fund an enhanced training program, which will integrate knowledge the service gained during the 2023 Grouse Complex wildfires. Before that, the regional district will need to gain city council’s approval at a meeting on Monday, March 11. Funding for the program will be provided by the province and will be administered by UBCM. To contact a reporter for this story, email Georgina Whitehouse mailto:gwhitehouse@infonews.ca  or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .