The B.C. government recently announced it is launching a one-day training model for Emergency Support Services (ESS) responders in response to feedback from communities and input from the Premier’s expert task force on emergencies.

The one-day training administered by the Justice Institute of B.C. condenses the current week-long training model, allowing people to rapidly become trained as an ESS responder during emergencies.

ESS 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 people and families that are unable to meet their needs when they are evacuated. During an emergency event, local governments and First Nations will share information about how to access ESS, such as at a reception centre.

“Last summer, we heard from people who wanted to help evacuees but faced barriers in getting trained to do so,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. “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.”

The new one-day model will go live on May 4. The course will prepare new ESS responders to provide support in-person and by phone so that evacuees can receive the supports they need. It will also increase ESS responders across the province who can assist local ESS teams with emergencies happening in other areas of B.C. The new course also trains responders how to conduct a trauma-informed needs assessment and offer supports in a culturally safe manner.

The province is also supporting almost 100 local ESS projects with approximately $3.3 million through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF). Funding will help communities expand their capacity to provide ESS through volunteer recruitment, retention and training, and the purchase of ESS equipment.

One East Kootenay community is in on that funding, with the District of Elkford receiving $29,888.75 for ESS enhancements.

The funds will also support the modernization of local ESS programs to move toward digital registration and offer remote support. This will help communities move to online ESS registration and allow direct payment to evacuees. Additionally, funding will focus on promoting knowledge sharing, enhancing mutual aid between communities and allowing applicants to act as host communities for evacuees.

The CEPF helps communities better prepare for and mitigate the impacts of climate-related emergencies by funding local projects and initiatives in several categories. These include disaster-risk reduction and climate adaptation, public notification and evacuation-route planning, and emergency-operations centre equipment and training.

The new course will be available in three formats to provide better accessibility: instructor-led, in-person; instructor-led, online; and self-paced, online.

The existing longer-form course and its recommended prerequisites will still be available online to those interested.

e-KNOW file photo

e-KNOW

Article Share