As we approach the wildfire season, some new funding will help the Cowichan Valley Regional District respond to emergency situations.
2017 was the worst wildfire season on record in BC and while Vancouver Island wasn’t hit hard, other parts of the province were, as the province spent $550 million dollars to fight wildfires.
The CVRD was recently granted more than $24,000 dollars that will go to the setup of emergency shelters with supplies like cots, blankets and other supplies in the event of an emergency, like a substantial wildfire.
Sybille Sanderson is the Emergency Program Coordinator with the regional district and says all the fire activity in the Okanagan last year played a major role in the decision to apply for emergency preparedness funding.
The funding comes from the Union of BC Municipalities community emergency preparedness fund and Sanderson says the money will increase emergency centre capacity to five times the current levels.
The CVRD has also received $25,000 dollars for the Primary Regional Emergency Operations Centre Relocation and Upgrade project.
