This includes preparation and planning to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of its citizens, and to provide an effective response and recovery as much as possible. The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) established the RDEK Elk Valley and South Country Emergency Program which included Electoral Areas A and B, City of Fernie, and Districts of Sparwood and Elkford. As a participant of that program, the District of Sparwood has adopted the emergency management commitments and response methodologies with the East Kootenay Emergency Management Plan.
You and the other members of your family might not be together during a disaster or other emergency. It is important to have a plan that will help you communicate and find each other after the emergency.
You also need to make sure that every member of your family knows what to do if they are at home alone during an emergency. You should create a family emergency plan, and then review it with your family regularly - every six months, when the clocks change - to make sure that everyone understands it and remembers it.
When you create your family emergency plan, you should:
The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) launched the Evacuation Notification System (ENS) earlier this summer. This system powered by Voyent Alert!, will help keep residents and property owners, in the East Kootenays, informed of any evacuation orders or alerts issued during critical events such as wildfires, floods or hazardous materials incidents. The system allows users to pin multiple locations and will send out notifications to anyone with pins in defined order/alert areas via text, phone calls (both landline and cell) and for smartphone users, via a dedicated app on their phones.
This service is FREE and anonymous. It is available to all residents and property owners in the East Kootenay. Whether you live in a municipality, a rural area, or you own a second home within the region, you will receive a notification if you have subscribed and there is an evacuation alert or order affecting your chosen locations. To learn more about this new service or to register, please visit https://www.rdek.bc.ca/departments/emergencyservices/emergencyinfo/.
![]() | 136 Spruce Avenue Box 520 Sparwood British Columbia V0B 2G0 |
![]() | 1 250 425 6271 |
![]() | 1 250 425 7277 |
![]() | sparwood@sparwood.ca |
© 2016 District of Sparwood