Whereas wildfire events are increasing in frequency, intensity, and duration, and local governments and the BC Wildfire Service are increasingly required to deal with the issues created by residents who stay within an evacuation order area to defend their property and farmers who stay to look after livestock sheltering in place; And whereas the Emergency Program Act and the British Columbia Emergency Management System do not address, recognize, or provide direction regarding the management of issues created by persons choosing to stay and defend their property from wildfire: Therefore be it resolved that the Province work with local governments to develop policy and best practices regarding stay and defend issues with consideration given to formally recognizing a persons right to stay and defend their property from wildfire.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General The overall issue of residents reluctance to evacuate, and access to evacuated areas, represents a complex area of public policy that requires careful consideration. We understand that managing any evacuation is a difficult situation to manage for local governments and First Nations. The Province is in the process of modernizing the Emergency Program Act EPA and released a discussion paper on October 28, 2019 that outlines proposed changes. The three-month consultation was open until January 31, 2020 and local governments, First Nation, interested organizations and public input was encouraged. The Ministry welcomes further input and recommendations regarding how governments can protect the life-safety of residents, as well as those who provide emergency management services, while considering the importance of protecting the economic interests and livelihoods of our communities. Emergency Management BC EMBC staff are also available to discuss this issue with local government representatives. One useful reference for local governments which is relevant to this issue are guidelines that were developed by EMBC entitled Managing Access to Areas under Evacuation Order that provide voluntary guidelines for local governments and First Nation communities to authorize the temporary re-entry into an area that is under an evacuation order. These guidelines were released in May 2019 and are available on the EMBC website.