Emergency Preparedness
Ensuring communities are safer & better prepared in an emergency
Open Burning Ban (Category 2 & 3)
OPEN BURNING (Category 2 & 3) IS NOT PERMITTED throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction as of noon on Thursday May 18th.
Category 1 campfires/beach fires that are a half-meter high by a half-meter wide or smaller, or cooking stoves that use gas, propane, or briquettes are still permitted everywhere EXCEPT the following locations:
- EXCEPT on beaches in the South Quadra Island Improvement District because beach fires in this area are banned all year
- EXCEPT Gold River which has specific permit requirements around campfire/beachfire and any other type of open burning between April 15 and October 15th.
To report open burning concerns, please contact:
- All of Electoral Area A (Sayward Valley)
- All of Electoral Area B (Cortes Island)
- All of Electoral Area C (Quadra & Discovery Islands) EXCEPT the area within the Quadra Island Improvement District
- All of Electoral Area D (Oyster Bay / Buttle Lake) EXCEPT for the area within the Black Creek / Oyster Bay Fire Protection Local Area.
Please contact the following numbers to report open burning concerns:
- Black Creek / Oyster Bay Local Fire Protection Area | 250-830-7155.
- City of Campbell River | 250-286-6266
- South Quadra Island Improvement District | 250-285-3262
- Village of Gold River | 250-283-2522
- Village of Sayward | 250-282-5505
- Village of Tahsis | 250-934-6666
- Village of Zeballos | 250-761-4229
Stay Informed
Welcome to the Strathcona Emergency Program (SEP) home page. The SRD’s Protective Services Coordinator works to support fire safety and emergency management which are critical functions of a local government.
Protective Services
Provides fire protection for portions of Electoral Area A (Sayward Valley), Electoral Area B (Cortes Island), and Electoral Area D (Oyster Bay/Buttle Lake).
Emergency Management
Our goal is to ensure that communities in the region are safer and better prepared in the event of an emergency situation, by helping individuals and organizations become resilient and adaptive. We provide:
- Leadership to all volunteer and staff teams in our region who will be called upon during an emergency event.
- Coordination of regional emergency services for the City of Campbell River, four electoral areas and four Villages of Sayward, Gold River, Tahsis and Zeballos. through training and exercises so teams can share skills and better anticipate challenges prior to an actual event.
- Support for preparedness initiatives throughout the Regional District. Our goal is to build capacity within our region by educating people, neighbourhoods and businesses to ensure they are better prepared to help themselves and others impacted by disaster.
Our Strength is Our Volunteers
The success of the Strathcona Emergency Program is in part due to the many volunteers who donate their skills and time toward emergency preparedness and response activities. The Strathcona Regional District acknowledges those volunteers and agencies, including Emergency Radio Communications, Emergency Support Services, Search and Rescue, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Canadian Animal Disaster Response Team and St. John Ambulance (to name a few). We appreciate their ongoing support and commitment to the emergency program.
For More Information about the Program or to become a Volunteer
Please contact Shaun Koopman – SRD Protective Services Coordinator
250-830-6702 | preparedness@srd.ca
Emergency Preparedness Week May 7 – 13, 2023
The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) encourages residents to take part in Emergency Preparedness Week from May 7 to 13, 2023. Emergency Preparedness Week is an opportunity for community members to take action to ensure they are prepared to protect themselves and their loved ones.
“Next week is Emergency Preparedness Week, which is a nationwide event that encourages Canadians to take real actions to better prepare and protect themselves and their families during emergencies” stated SRD Chair Mark Baker. “Emergency Planning is everyone’s responsibility. We should all be ready to take care of ourselves for a minimum of 72 hours. Having a plan helps us be prepared and self-sufficient and allows emergency responders to prioritize assistance where it is most needed.”
Here are 7 tasks (one for each day of the week) that residents can take to be better prepared.
- Day 1 – Before Emergency Preparedness Week starts, check out the free showing of the Tsunami 11th Relative documentary touring across the SRD this week. Showing dates, times and locations are listed below.
- Day 2 – Ensure your household has given sufficient thought about how to minimize the stress of your pet during a disaster. For example, does your pet have a favorite toy or stuffy? If so, consider having an extra one on hand in case you cannot find the original one.
- Day 3 – As the dry season approaches, now is a great time to clean up yards and do a FireSmart assessment of your home and surrounding property. Take the free FireSmart 101 online course to learn about the Wildland Urban Interface, why FireSmart is needed now more than ever, the seven FireSmart principles and more. Visit www.firesmartbc.ca to register for the course and learn how you can prepare for the upcoming wildfire season.
- Day 4 – Download the free Alertable app for our regional emergency mass notification system to your cellphone or visit www.srd.ca/alerts to learn more.
- Day 5 – Consider booking a free emergency planning presentation for your business, group or organization by contacting preparedness@srd.ca or 250-830-6702.
- Day 6 – Have a discussion with your insurance provider about what financial support is available if you are displaced due to a disaster. Typically, Emergency Support Services only provides three days of basic financial support for evacuees.
- Day 7 – Consider becoming an Animal Response Team, Emergency Support Services, Search and Rescue or Emergency Communication Team volunteer member. Learn more at www.srd.ca/emergency-support-services
