In case of a major wildfire on the Coast, what’s the plan? Where do we go, what do we do?

Sunshine Coast manager of protective services Matt Treit outlines several scenarios, just in case. “Anything can happen, so be prepared”

(By News Desk)

In case of a major wildfire, what happens if people start fleeing on the Sunshine Coast highway? With only one lane, accidents are bound to happen. What is the emergency plan?

During the wildfires in Fort McMurray in 2016, all lanes of the highway were made outbound, making evacuation easier. Could that be done on the Sunshine Coast? 

“It could be done,” says Matt Treit, in charge of  emergency planning on the Sunshine Coast. “But what if you need emergency vehicles going the opposite way? You could do it temporarily, I guess. We would have to look at each situation individually and make an assessment; it would depend on how many people you need to evacuate. For a large number, that second lane would make a huge difference.”

A fire on the Sunshine Coast could happen in a thousand different places, so it is not practical to have designated routes in case of a fire, he says. “So we focus on early notification and keeping people informed.”

Treit hopes that by the end of August, an emergency mass communication system will be operational on the Coast. 

People in an area threatened by an emergency will receive texts, emails or calls on their landline instructing them where to go and what to do — sirens are a thing of the past. 

Hopefully by the end of August, the system is ready for people to sign up. Registration is voluntary. Tourists could sign up, too, but at this time there is no strategy on how to reach them for registration.

What if people need to be evacuated off the Coast?

“Depending on where the fire is, we could look at calling BC Ferries for help with an evacuation.” Treit says. “We do not have a contingency plan with BC Ferries but we have the ability to call them, in an emergency, for extra vessels. It would not be a matter of minutes but hours to get additional vessels, but it’s a possibility. 

“We can only use the vessels that would be available. But say on July long weekend all the vessels are in service and all of them are full, then it’s not an easy thing to have an extra ferry available, fully staffed. We’re also looking at the problem of people lining up for the ferries, so a few things would have to fall into place.

We would be at their mercy, yes.” he says. “But I have no doubt BC Ferries would be supportive in case of an emergency.”   

Are there plans to use private boats to help evacuate people?

“We have three marine Search and Rescue groups on the Coast that could evacuate people in an emergency. We could also call on private boaters to assist people who need to flee. We don’t have contact with them right now because it is difficult to know how many life jackets each vessel has, and so on.”

Emergency Planning does not have a contract with Coast FM for announcements but they are very good to work with, Treit says. “For instance, we called them and they gave heat warnings and other useful information to the public.”

If a wildfire happens, the first line of defense is the fire departments, with about 200 firefighters on the Coast. If needed, BC Wildfire Service responds as well, with helicopters and planes. That happened this year already, in Roberts Creek and Halfmoon Bay. In case more help is needed, fire departments from other places in BC will come to the rescue, Treit says. 

In case of a larger event, with the need to evacuate, an Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) will be set up on Field Road. The District of Sechelt, the Shíshálh Nation and the Town of Gibsons all have trained staff as well, who know what to do. 

The EOC will try to work out the best evacuation route and set up one or more reception centres where people can register. There is no way the hospitality industry on the Coast can provide shelter for hundreds of people, says Treit, so emergency shelters would be in halls, churches or schools. The Emergency Support Services group can provide shelter, food and clothing for 72 hours if needed. 

What if the fire is around Field Road, the site of the EOC?

“The good thing about COVID-19 was that we found we can all work from different locations,” Treit says. “So we can keep the centre operating from people’s homes if Field Road were unavailable.”

The SCRD would not be able to send transportation to every place to evacuate people, but Emergency Planning has recently hired an emergency management coordinator to help people organize so they can help neighbours who may not have a car, or have other needs in case of an emergency. 

There have been a couple of meetings with neighbourhood groups already, and information about neighbourhood preparedness is available on the SCRD website. Treit is looking at more meetings with community groups later in the year, and certainly in 2022.

The SCRD just adopted a community wildfire protection plan for the Coast. More of a prevention plan than a response plan, it has a number of recommendations to make the Sunshine Coast safer from wildfire. 

“We can apply for more grant money to carry out some of these recommendations,” Treit told the Coast Clarion. 

One of the things that needs to be done is fuel-mitigation work in some areas. “We’re not after clearcutting, as some people think,” Treit says. “But we need to clean up the forest floor where a lot of dry fuel has accumulated over the years, and we need to cut branches up to a height of six or eight feet. The fire can’t burn the tree itself, but if there are lower branches that can catch on fire, that’s how the fire spreads.”

The SCRD will also be posting for a couple of FireSmart coordinators who will be available for advice to homeowners on how they can protect their properties from wildfires.

But the most important thing is personal preparedness, Treit stressed during the interview. “What do you need if you would have to evacuate tonight? Do you have a bag with all your necessary possessions, your medication, do you have a list of everything you need to take and do, do you have your pet foods and kennels ready? 

“And if you were cut off from the outside world for three or four days, are you prepared for that, as well?

“You just never know. Look at the wildfires we had in Roberts Creek and Halfmoon Bay, nobody predicted those would happen and then all of a sudden, they’re there. It makes total sense to be prepared.”