Penticton lining up facilities in preparation for summer emergencies

Penticton is preparing for the upcoming summer fire season.

City council will be asked to approve the use of several venues for emergency social service operations and support centres at tomorrow, June 1.

The city is eyeing the former Greyhound bus barn at 199 Ellis St. for its primary emergency support services reception centre should a major disaster happen this summer.

The facility is owned by the city.

Staff are also looking at the Community Centre at 325 Power St. as a back-up emergency support services facility, having learned during last summer’s Christie Mountain wildfire of the possible need to house large numbers of the city’s population.

Approval for Fire Hall number two at 285 Dawson Ave. to serve as office, training and storage space for emergency support services is also being sought from council at Tuesday’s meeting, as is continuation of an agreement between the city and Okanagan Skaha School District for use of Princess Margaret School as a backup facility for group lodging or as a reception centre during an emergency.

Staff are also asking council to approve a continued arrangement for use of the Senior’s Drop in Centre at 2965 South Main St. as a back up facility during emergencies.

Nailing down use of those facilities would ensure the city would have adequate roofs over the heads of the 50 to 80 emergency social service teams serving the city and surrounding area during a disaster, as well as potential evacuees.

Emergency social services typically offer support through operation of reception centres and group lodging facilities.

The financial costs for the arrangements and agreements put in place for use of the facilities noted above would be minimal, a report to council suggests, noting costs for use during a disaster or emergency could be claimed from the province through the province’s emergency management program.

Council will look at approving the arrangements at tomorrow's regular council meeting.

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