EMO News Release - October 18

October 18, 2021

Hello everyone,

Welcome to fall! As you will see from this enewsletter, Emergency Management Oceanside has been extremely busy, more so than usual it would appear. We hope you are all staying safe, hunkering down for winter weather which we are sure is lurking just around the corner. Don’t forget, winter tires or chains are required on most routes in our province from October 1 to April 30. MAP

Update on EMO activities
On October 4, emergency program coordinator, Aaron Dawson, updated Parksville Council on Emergency Management Oceanside activities. Here are some of the points from the presentation to provide information on what EMO has been up to so far this year.

36 Oceanside Emergency Support Services (OESS) activations for structure fires within District 69. Three in Qualicum Beach, 13 in Parksville and 20 in the Regional District of Nanaimo. This is more than twice the average number of structure fire-related activations. 22 of these activations resulted in direct need for emergency support services.
OESS deployed four volunteers to wildfire support in BC’s interior for 26 days totalling 260 hours of support to the province.
Conducted a series of emergency preparedness Zoom workshops and prepared for the launch of the new Canadian Household Emergency Response and Preparedness app.
Emergency Program Coordinators, Rob and Aaron, provided remote support to Kamloops PREOC (Provincial Regional Emergency Operations Centre).
Continuing with ongoing COVID-19 response, public notifications, and liaison with province on community orders.

And here’s what’s next for EMO:

EMO is working with consultants for the development of Local Government Departmental Business Continuity Planning, Critical Business Impact Analysis and Contingency Plans for locally identified hazards.
EMO secured grant funding and will be purchasing technology for our Oceanside Emergency Support Services and Oceanside Emergency Communications Team volunteer programs to align with Emergency Management BC’s modernization of the provincial emergency program.
EMO will continue to monitor the progress of COVID-19 and work with municipal Chief Administrative Officers and HR departments on implementation of provincial orders.
Planning has started for the Vancouver Island Emergency Preparedness Conference (VIEPC) for Fall 2022 to be hosted by Emergency Management Oceanside.
Preparing staff, volunteers, residents and facilities for our fall and winter storm season

PQBeat: Emergency programs work in unison
EMO emergency program coordinators were featured in a PQB Beat podcast which was included in the PQB News on October 6.You may also listen to the podcast on online at this link.

Get Prepared for 2021 ShakeOut Drill
We continue to adapt to living and working with the COVID-19 pandemic and while we are doing a great job in adjusting to these new challenges, earthquakes, storms, forest fires and other natural disasters continue to occur.

We all need to be prepared and one of the ways is to practice how to be safe during an earthquake. The 2021 ShakeOut drill is set for October 21 at 10.21 am.

Emergency Management Oceanside, on behalf of the City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach, encourages residents to participate. Parksville-Qualicum Beach residents can register at shakeoutbc.ca to be counted in the drill and to obtain resources and information. Intended to create public awareness of earthquake hazards and encourage personal preparedness, participants Drop, Cover and Hold On for two minutes in response to a simulated earthquake event.

When a significant natural disaster occurs around the world, we realize how little we are. We usually take a moment to consider how prepared we are, think about the people affected and speculate about what we, our co-workers, or our loved ones should do in a disaster. COVID-19 is a true reminder of how important it is to be prepared for any disaster.

The BC Shakeout website has a wealth of information about how to participate and most importantly, how to perform the Drop, Cover and Hold On - a quake-safe action designed to protect people from objects that can become projectiles during ground shaking.

Drop, Cover and Hold On: Drop to the ground, take cover under a table or desk, and hold on to it as if a major earthquake were happening (stay down for at least 60 seconds). Practice now so that you will immediately protect yourself during an earthquake.
While under the table or wherever you are, look around and imagine what would happen in a major earthquake. What would fall, what would be damaged, what would life be like after?
Finally, you can practice what you will do after the shaking stops.

The ShakeOut website also provides a life safety drill designed to engage people to think through their own emergency response actions during the drill, then afterwards review and discuss what worked or what did not, in order to make improvements for the next drill or an actual earthquake. The website also has information on participating at your workplace. If you participated in previous ShakeOut drills, you may wish to consider some next steps after "drop, cover and hold on." When the shaking stops, stay in your place, count to sixty and if nothing has "fallen on you", then it's safe to evacuate.

Here's how to participate in Shakeout
Plan Your Drill:

Register at shakeoutbc.ca to be counted, get email updates, and more.
Have a Drop, Cover, and Hold On drill at 10:21 am on October 21.
Discuss what you learned and make improvements.

Get Prepared for Earthquakes:

Ensure you have the necessary supplies; you may need to remain in place for several weeks after an earthquake.
Do a “hazard hunt” for items that might fall during earthquakes and secure them.
Create a personal or family disaster plan. getprepared.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx

Supporting District 69 Fire Departments Boots for Food Drive 2021

Fire departments in District 69 are gearing up to fill their boots for food! Similar to last year, there will be no door-to-door collection of food or toys. On November 13 and November 14, physically distanced and masked firefighters will collect cash donations for the Salvation Army food bank at locations throughout Oceanside, at their firehalls and some departments will accept donations at their firehalls on November 20 and 21.

Information on collection by District 69 departments is provided here. Residents should confirm arrangements with their local department. Each year, Oceanside residents generously contribute and firefighters in District 69 look forward to another successful year.

Bow Horn Bay Fire Department - Will accept curbside cash and food donations at the Bow Horn Bay firehall
(220 Lions Way) on Saturday, November 13 from 10 am to 4 pm. bowhornbayvfd.ca
Coombs Hilliers Volunteer Fire Department - Members will collect cash donations on November 13 and 14 at locations in Parksville and Qualicum Beach. coombsdata@shaw.ca
Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department - The Dashwood firehall (230 Hobbs Road) and Meadowood firehall
(1800 Galvin Place) will accept curbside food and cash donations on Saturday, November 13 from 9 am to 3 pm. dashwoodvfd.com
Deep Bay Fire Department - Saturday, November 20 between 10 am and 2 pm, members will accept food and cash donations at the Deep Bay firehall (5031 Mountainview Road). dbid.ca/Deep-Bay-Fire-Department.php
Errington Fire Department - Errington Fire Station # 1 will collect cash and food donations at the Co-op Gas Bar at the corner of Church Road and Alberni Highway on November 14 and November 21, between 10 am and 4 pm. evfd.ca
Nanoose Volunteer Fire Department - November 13 between 10 am and 2 pm, firefighters will be at Springford Farms and Nanoose Quality Foods to collect cash donations. As well, residents may purchase Quality Foods gift cards from the Quality Foods in Nanoose rather than a cash donation. Donations will go to the Nanoose Community Cupboard to assist residents in need. nanoosevfd.com
Parksville Volunteer Fire Department - Firefighters will collect cash donations for the Salvation Army food bank at several locations throughout the Parksville on November 13 and November 14, from 9 am to 5 pm. Donations of new unwrapped toys will also be accepted for the Society of Organized Services. parksvillefirerescue.ca
Qualicum Beach Fire Department - November 13 and 14 from 10 am to 2 pm, firefighters will accept cash donations at the firehall (130 Rupert Road East), outside Qualicum Foods (705 Memorial Avenue) and at the Qualicum Beach BC Liquor Store (706 Primrose Street). qualicumbeach.com

Town of Qualicum Beach
Town Hall is open to the public with full services. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm (except statutory holidays). Although the office is open, residents are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the other payment options including payment through your financial institution; mail a cheque; or drop off a cheque at Town Hall drop box (location below). If you do wish to attend at Town Hall to conduct business, masks are mandatory while in the building. Contact is through these methods:

Email qbtown@qualicumbeach.com
Phone 250 752-6921
Post PO Box 130, Qualicum Beach V9K 1S7
Mail Slot Out front of Town Hall, nearest the fountain
Website

COVID-19 regulations have recently changed, and Town held meetings will now be open to those wishing to attend in person, if masks are worn.

City of Parksville
City Hall is open to the public from 8 am to 4 pm and our operations department is open 8 am to 4 pm and closed noon to 1 pm. Information for the public when visiting:

Entrance to the Parksville Civic and Technology Centre is from Jensen Avenue East only.
Masks are mandatory while in the building.
Staff may elect to meet with the public either in-person or virtually and in-person meetings will comply with protocols on distancing and masks.
For now, access to the Vancouver Island Library continues to be the outside entrance, east parking lot.
Main floor washrooms are open for public use.
The public is welcome to attend Council meetings in-person; however, numbers are extremely limited. Meetings are webstreamed live and archived from the City’s website.
If sick, please stay home and get tested.
Refer to the City website and Let’s Talk Parksville for more information.

BC Centre for Disease Control
Island Health
Vaccine info - 1 833 838-2323
Medical COVID-19 information - 811
Proof of vaccination info

For information, contact:

Rob Daman
Emergency Program Coordinator, Town of Qualicum Beach
rdaman@qualicumbeach.com

Aaron Dawson
Emergency Program Coordinator, City of Parksville
adawson@parksville.ca

Deb Tardiff
Manager of Communications, City of Parksville
dtardiff@parksville.ca

Consultation has concluded