As British Columbia faces yet another difficult wildfire season, one region is rolling out a new tool aimed at protecting some of its most vulnerable residents.
The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) has created a Vulnerable Persons Database designed to help people who might need extra assistance in the case of a crisis.
“We have tried to keep it really simple,” RDEK spokesperson Loree Duczek told CBC’s Daybreak South.
“Really what we are focusing in on is allowing emergency responders to have a heads up that there are different addresses that may need some additional care.”
The database is confidential and voluntary, and open to people who face a variety of challenges.
Those range from mobility, hearing or vision issues, to learning disabilities or mental health challenges, to access to the internet or a vehicle.
The rollout comes as the East Kootenay city of Kimberly is under an evacuation alert due to the Matthew Creek wildfire.
The Matthew Creek wildfire continues to burn out of control near Kimberley, B.C. CBC’s Amber Wang says the situation there feels fairly calm, despite two evacuation alerts issued on Sunday for the community of about 9,000 people.
Ironically, Duczek said it was a previous evacuation alert in that same city that helped officials see the need for the service.
“Through that exercise, they identified there were many, many people that they did not realize were in the community that needed that extra assistance,” she said.
In the case of an emergency like an evacuation order, the database would allow first responders to know things in advance, like if someone was deaf and couldn’t hear a knock at the door or if they needed transportation, she said.
Disability Alliance B.C. says it backs the program.
“We have recommended such initiatives in emergency situations in previous advocacy work,” executive director Helaine Boyd said in an email.
Proactively identifying people with disabilities that may affect their ability to evacuate is one of a number of recommendations Disability Alliance B.C. made in a recent emergency planning framework document.
Pre-planning to help transport people with mobility challenges, communicating evacuation orders and alerts in alternative formats, and involving people with disabilities in the planning process are other key recommendations.
The RDEK’s new database is not open to people who are already under 24-hour care, as they are under the supervision of Interior Health.
Duczek encouraged people to sign up for themselves, but said friends and family can also sign loved ones up if they need assistance.
Residents can sign up for the database online, or by phone at 250-426-2188.
