Wildfire Season began on March 1. The Greater Bragg Creek FireSmart Committee chatted with Rocky View County’s Emergency Management Agency to learn more about wildfire evacuation plans for Bragg Creek. Here are some points from the Q&A:
1 How will residents be notified of an evacuation? What about visitors and outdoor enthusiasts?
Residents can sign up for the Safe and Sound emergency notification system to be the first to know about an emergency in the area. Sign up at www.rockyview.ca/safe-and-sound. Notifications go to cell phones, email or landlines.
In an emergency that poses an immediate risk to health and safety, the County will send out an alert using the Alberta Emergency Alert System, which can interrupt broadcasts and send alerts to all area cell phones.
When possible, evacuation crews will go door-to-door to notify residents. Information will be disseminated via local radio stations, County social media accounts, and the County website.
2. How do the emergency evacuation plans consider variability in potential locations of a fire, different notification timelines, and sets of evacuees?
The evacuation plan is broken down into evacuation zones so that evacuation crews can notify and evacuate only the affected zones. Where possible, authorities will first issue an Evacuation Alert. This alert tells you to start preparing for an imminent or possible future evacuation. If necessary, authorities will issue an Evacuation Order. This mandatory order requires people to leave a dangerous area within the timeframe given by emergency personnel.
3. What can residents do to be prepared?
Residents can go to www.rockyview.ca/emergency-preparedness. The County has a template that residents can use to build their own household emergency plan: www.rockyview.ca/Portals/0/Files/Emergency/Household-Emergency-Plan-Template.pdf
There is also a Household Emergency Guide with tips on what to do in an emergency. If you would like a physical copy of this guide, contact emergencymanagement@rockyview.ca.
Emergency Management offers 1-hour emergency preparedness presentations to community groups (emergencymanagement@rockyview.ca to request).
4. The bridge presents a potential bottleneck with everyone trying to funnel through the same roadway. There are similar choke points in neighbourhoods. How will traffic control be managed?
Under the Bragg Creek Evacuation Plan, the RCMP will have primary responsibility for implementation of evacuation operations, law enforcement and security, and traffic control. All other agencies including Rocky View County Enforcement and Fire Services will be prepared to support the RCMP with evacuation operations.
In the event of an evacuation, the resources needed to keep routes open would be deployed, including Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement, and Public Works equipment.
5. Redwood Meadows Emergency Services provides first response to the Bragg Creek area. How does RMES fit into the evacuation planning?
RMES is a partner agency, supporting Rocky View County Fire Services in the Greater Bragg Creek area. The Community of Redwood Meadows is included in the RVC evacuation plan.
6. Are there plans to carry out an evacuation drill to test the plans?
We have a full-scale evacuation drill planned for November 5, 2021 to test the plans. It is a joint exercise with Tsuu t’ina Nation, Redwood Meadows, and Bragg Creek. During this event, evacuation crews will be going door-to- door to evaluate the efficiencies of the plan and the time it will take. We will have a mock emergency reception center, incident command post, and emergency coordination center and will practice going through our evacuation plan from start to finish. There will also be a virtual evacuation exercise on April 15, 2021.
FireSmart Canada has a Last-Minute Checklist to protect your home from wildfire. Check it out at firesmartcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/FireSmartCanada_Wildfire_Evac_ Checklist_update.pdf.
