Whereaslocal governments in BC are orders of government that are the first to respond to questionsconcerns, resulting from emergencies, whether natural disasters like wildfires and floods or pandemics like the current COVID-19 pandemic; And whereas local governments require accurate and timely information that can be shared with their residents, both for safety purposes and to reduce anxiety of their residents; And whereas the communication from local health authorities and the provincial government to local governments, although improving, has only reached the minimum acceptable standard of twice weekly updates once a local pandemic outbreak has been declared: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the BC Government to find waysmeans to have accurate and more timely community-based information that can be shared with local governments and their residents during declared local and provincial states of emergency.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Emergency Management BC Emergency Management BC EMBC and other provincial government entities including the BC Wildfire Service BCWS and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs are always looking at ways of improving emergency communications. During large-scale emergencies, such as the wildfire seasons of 2017, 2018 and 2021, EMBC organized daily emergency coordination calls with all affected local and First Nation governments. These calls included operational updates from provincial agencies along with additional presentations on weather and wildfire status updates. The calls also provide an opportunity for communities to make specific information requests that EMBC staff can answer, including access to provincial funding and the frequency of emergency coordination calls to best support the information needs of the event. Emergency coordination calls are routinely organized at the request of a communitys Emergency Program Coordinator EPC, and feedback regarding how these calls can be improved for information sharing purposes is useful to EMBC. EMBC and BCWS have a range of tools from which to share information with local authorities and the public including EmergencyInfoBC emergencyinfobc.ca which is BCs online information hub during provincial scale emergencies and aggregates evacuation alerts and orders from all regions of the province. EmergencyInfoBC it is also a one-stop shop for evacuee information, travel advisories, donations, and recovery support, holds information on response and recovery for major events, and links to partner agencies like BCWS, the River Forecast Centre, and others. The hub is supported by the Twitter handle emergencyinfobchub. BCWS has a range of tools available, from social media to the BCWS App, for local authorities and the public to access up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, which is informed by advanced predictive services. There is also up-to-date information on fire bans or restrictions, wildfires of note, and other related materials. In spring 2022, EMBC expanded the use of Broadcast Intrusive Alerting, also known as Alert Ready, to include flood, wildfire, and extreme heat emergencies. This provides First Nations, local authorities, and the Province with another tool to use during emergencies. Broadcast Intrusive Alerting is a tool that can protect public safety during emergencies. They are emergency alert messages that reach the public through wireless devices and by interrupting regular TV and radio programs. These messages are only sent when there is an immediate and life-threatening danger, through the national Alert Ready system. Expanding the use of this tool has the potential to save lives and ensure B.C. is better able to respond to emergencies, as we see the severity and risks associated with emergency management hazards grow in our province. In BC, Broadcast Intrusive Alerts were already in use by EMBC for tsunami warnings, by the RCMP for Amber Alerts and civil emergencies, and by Environment and Climate Change Canada for extreme weather. The recent expansion of Broadcast Intrusive Alerts to these additional hazards builds on that foundation. While BC has many efforts underway to continuously improve emergency communications, the Province encourages local authorities to provide their ideas on ways to build upon available tools to improve our communications.