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Emergency Support Services in Penticton see busy summer

The team clocked in just under 900 hours for the Keremeos Creek Wildfire
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The Keremeos Creek wildfire southwest of Penticton on Aug. 26. BC Wildfire Service says the blaze is now considered “being held.”

Over the summer, the volunteers and staff at the Penticton Emergency Support Services have had their hands full.

As activity on the Keremeos Creek Wildfire has dwindled, Penticton ESS has begun to wrap up its deployment.

Over the 30 days of the fire, the ESS has supported 463 evacuees from the wildfire.

That doesn’t include the evacuees who received assistance and support from Oliver ESS in Keremeos.

In total, the over 25 members of Penticton’s ESS who worked over the wildfire put in just under 900 hours, according to the City of Penticton.

Thanks from the City were also made to School District 67, who provided over two weeks of space at Princess Margaret Secondary School to act as a group lodging facility and the Penticton Reception Centre for evacuees.

Penticton ESS worked with Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT) to support more than 35 families with pets and animals, and with the city to provide safe accommodation at the Animal Care and Control facility on Dartmouth Drive.

READ MORE: Keremeos Creek wildfire considered held, no longer ‘out of control’

Over the 30 days, 28 local businesses in Penticton provided services and support to evacuees, while Penticton ESS worked with hotels across the South Okanagan to find space for over 260 evacuees.

Beyond the wildfire, Penticton’s ESS team has been busy supporting evacuees from local house fires, as well as the 125 evacuees from fires at the Fairfield Hotel and the Meadowlark Motel.

These efforts rely in part on the service of the many volunteers on the Penticton ESS team.

The team is looking for new volunteers and the next call for recruits is in early September. Anyone interested in joining to help during an emergency is encouraged to apply when applications open.

Penticton ESS also everyone to check that they have adequate insurance for any event, have an emergency kit, and sign up for the City’s next text message alert system.

More information is available online at penticton.ca/our-community/health-safety/emergency-preparedness

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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Brennan Phillips

About the Author: Brennan Phillips

Brennan was raised in the Okanagan and is thankful every day that he gets to live and work in one of the most beautiful places in Canada.
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