Provincial funding is coming to the Prince George area for new training for Emergency Support Services responders.
“Last summer, we heard from people who wanted to help evacuees but faced barriers in getting trained to do so,” said Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma.
“We’re acting on lessons learned by rolling out a new one-day training option to enable more people to respond in times of need, helping to ensure that evacuees are supported in an effective and timely manner.”
Emergency Support Services is a provincially funded program administered by local governments and First Nations, which provides temporary support, including essentials such as accommodation, food, clothing, and transportation for those unable to meet their needs when evacuated.
The province is launching a one-day training model for ESS responders, condensing the current week-long training model.
The City of Prince George is receiving $30,000 for the Network of Emergency Support Services Teams (NESST) 11th annual conference, and Phase 5 resources to support ESS modernization.
“Streamlining the training program for Emergency Support Services responders is an opportunity to provide the necessary training for new ESS responders, while reducing the time commitment that volunteers need to make to be prepared to help people who are evacuated,” said Tanya Spooner, manager of emergency programs at the City of Prince George.
“The ability to bring in new volunteers and have them train within a single day will vastly improve the ability to accept drop-in volunteers during an evacuation.”
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is also receiving $30,000 for ESS ERA integration.