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New emergency operations centre for Penticton fire

Fire officials say it will take some pressure off the backs of the regional district in emergencies

In a corner of the Penticton Fire Department’s main fire hall, on the second floor, a refurbished room is loaded with screens, computers and equipment.

Different chairs have different vests hanging off them, indicating different agencies and in the middle of the room, a boardroom-like table sits with a speaker phone and laptops. It has the feeling of a control tower, with second-floor windows offering a view of much of downtown.

The room is the newly ready-to-roll emergency operations centre, which the PFD began organizing a couple of years ago, and it would offer the city a chance to take control of its own emergency situations.

During last year’s testing fire and flood season for the fire department, the City of Penticton still relied on the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and its emergency operations centre.

“We thought it prudent to have our own in the event that there’s a large scale (event) and the RDOS would be tied up with the other municipalities and local governments,” said deputy chief Chris Forster, who is in charge of the EOC.

“We’ve renovated the fire hall, here, and we’ve come up with all of the five stations — six stations, actually — with the EOC staff positions.”

Those positions are largely senior staff with the City of Penticton, who have been training in the new EOC over the past year more recently looking at actually acting out scenarios.

Forster said the EOC is now ready to roll if a major event hit the city this week, and he is confident those involved in the centre would be comfortable enough in their positions for a fluid operation.

“The primary function of an EOC is to provide site support so if they need a reception centre, if they need any type of equipment — food, water, etc. — they can just simply call the EOC and then the players inside here will ensure they get what they need.”

Forster said the advantage of being in a location removed from the situation, whether it’s a fire or a flood, is that it lends a bit of calmness for those running the show.

When they are not next to a wildfire, or in the middle of the emergency shelter, Forster said operators will have more clarity of mind.

Depending on the size of the event, Forester said the PFD will also bring B.C. Emergency Health Services personnel or RCMP into the EOC to help manage the situation.

“So if we sat there and had, whether it was a wildfire or some significant event that affected some great part of the city. And then all of a sudden we need to sit there and get RCMP to start doing evacuations, we’ve now got to get ahold of them, see where they’re at, guide them where they’re going to go, etc.,” Forster said.

With the RCMP in the same room, however, Forster said that can add fluidity to operations in an emergency.

The room formerly housed the fire prevention area, while a neighbouring room housed the dispatch, which recently moved up to Kelowna. That freed up room to get the fire prevention area into the former dispatch spot, with that corner room then renovated to house the EOC.

“It was a larger space that would be much more conducive to an EOC,” he said.

While it could hold up to 20 people, Forster said he expects the EOC will most likely max out at about 10 people working in that room at any given time.

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Dustin Godfrey | Reporter
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