CEO Message on the Provincial State of Emergency and Wildfires

July 10, 2017News releases

Greetings,

Last Friday, the Province of BC announced a provincial state of emergency regarding the current wildfire situation. This is an unprecedented situation for our province, and one that is affecting many First Nations communities in the Interior Region.

During this stressful time, we at the First Nations Health Authority are committed to sharing information and support with communities. Evacuations are underway in many areas, and with the hot, dry weather expected to continue, more families and communities may need to leave their homes for safety. This is a challenging and frightening situation for many—and our thoughts are with all of those affected.

A number of patient evacuations have taken place where care facilities fall within evacuation zones. For those with loved ones in the hospital or long-term care, a central number has been established through Interior Health Patient and Quality Care Office (1-877-442-2001) to connect evacuees and families.

The links below and our wildfire information page will support you to stay up to date on the wildfire situation, current evacuation zones, road closures, emergency phone lines and other crucial emergency services. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as needed.

We want to raise our hands in gratitude to the many firefighters, response teams, frontline care providers and volunteers providing emergency services to keep our communities safe. Despite many of our FNHA Interior Region team members and their families being on evacuation alert, they continue to work around the clock to provide supports and the latest information to First Nations in the region. We thank all involved for their continued efforts.

In support,

Joe Gallagher

CEO, FNHA

Helpful Emergency Resources:

Most up to date wildfire information:

BC Wildfire: http://bcfireinfo.for.gov.bc.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/Fires.asp?Mode=normal&AllFires=0&FC=0

BC Wildfire Map: http://openmaps.gov.bc.ca/kml/wildfire/map.html

Fires of note: http://bcfireinfo.for.gov.bc.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/OneFire.asp

Road conditions, closures and incidents:

Drive BC: http://www.drivebc.ca

Emergency Services BC

For latest evacuation orders: http://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/

Red Cross Support

Red Cross is providing support for evacuated individuals and families. If you have been evacuated, please call the contact centre at 1-800-863-6582 to have an agent help you register. You can also register online here.

The registration form will ask for your basic information about you and your household, such as name, date of birth, email address and home address.

Red Cross Wildfire
Evacuations – If you have been evacuated, please call the contact centre at
1-800-863-6582 to have an agent help you register. You can also register
online here.

Hospital Evacuations – information line: 1-877-442-2001 (toll free)

Interior Health (IH) has established a call line for families whose loved ones have been relocated from health facilities due to wildfire activity in the Cariboo and Thompson-Nicola regions. Residential care and assisted living clients, and hospital patients, have been or are being moved from facilities in Ashcroft, 100 Mile House and Williams Lake. Family members can call the IH Patient Care Quality Office (PCQO) for information about relocations. The toll-free number is 1-877-442-2001.

Conduit for most needed items:

Kamloops Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PREOC)