As part of Emergency Preparedness Week Williams Lake First Nation is inviting everyone to come out to their first ever Emergency Expo.
This Friday afternoon (May 10) starting at 3 pm at the Elizabeth Grouse Gymnasium in Sugarcane, the public can learn more about the services and supports that are available before, during and in recovery from an emergency.
WLFN Emergency Program Coordinator Paul McCarthy said the idea for this event came from looking back at the 2017 wildfire season and looking ahead to what the forecast is for this Summer.
“Local knowledge is great and the learning from the past is good, we just have to make sure that we’re on the pulse, we know what’s coming and how to be prepared. We spit balled some ideas with with the Emergency Management Team here at Williams Lake First Nation. Our Emergency Support Services Director had this idea about rather than doing a public meeting we’ll do it as a drop in.”
McCarthy noted that the idea for the Expo was to have stakeholders and partners in Emergency Management set up information booths so people can come and learn how to be personally prepared.
“How to be prepared for 72-hours. What to do in case of an Evacuation Alert or an Evacuation Order. What a state of Local Emergency looks like, how to be safe at home, and just how to be prepared. The more we know the better off we’re going to be,” McCarthy said.
Some of the Organizations that will be at the WLFN Emergency Expo include: City of Williams Lake and Williams Lake First Nation Emergency Support Services, Red Cross, 150 Mile House Volunteer Fire Department, Central Cariboo Search and Rescue, BC Wildfire Service, and Emergency Management and Climate Readiness BC.