Emergency Management

Five years after a devastating wildfire destroyed 90 per cent of the Village of Lytton, the Office of the Auditor General has released its review of the Province’s role in the recovery efforts. A key finding is the lack of local government capacity and funding to address large-scale recovery operations and legislatively mandated duties.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) is reminding local governments that all fire inspectors and investigators designated under the Fire Safety Act must meet the required training standards by September 30, 2026. More information is available in a recent OFC bulletin.

Documents outlining the administrative penalty process under the Fire Safety Act are now available. In the coming months, the Office of the Fire Commissioner will host virtual information sessions for local government to discuss the process in more detail.

Nominations for the 2026-27 Emergency Management Exemplary Service Awards (EMESA) are now open. The EMESA, a partnership between provincial, territorial and federal governments, honours individuals and groups working in emergency management who have achieved excellence in their respective fields. All local government nominations must be submitted by April 30, 2026.

Local governments are invited to a webinar – January 22, 10-11am – to review the BC Disaster and Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment (DCRRA). This new resource provides information and data to better understand how different hazard scenarios could affect people, infrastructure and communities across the province. 

Storms in southwestern British Columbia are once again placing significant strain on communities and compounding the long-term impacts of past flood events. As local governments and other service providers respond to the impacts, UBCM continues to call for sustained provincial and federal funding and support to help local governments respond, recover and invest in long-term flood risk mitigation.

An independent review of E-Comm 911’s governance, finances and operations has resulted in several recommendations to ensure effective and sustainable delivery of emergency communications in BC, including representational governance. A separate report examines the overall service delivery model for emergency communications in BC.

An independent review of 911 emergency communications service delivery in BC has concluded that the Province should “[implement] a structured oversight framework and [take] more responsibility across the sector.” This comes approximately one year after Premier David Eby, in response to a UBCM resolution and local government concerns, announced an internal review of E-Comm and 911 service. 

The Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) has launched free training courses to help designated local government fire inspectors and fire investigators meet training standards. Under the Fire Safety Act, which came into force on August 1, 2024, local governments are required to designate fire inspectors and investigators who meet specific training standards.

On November 4, the Province released its British Columbia Disaster and Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment (DCRRA) report. The report assesses how communities across BC may be impacted by six hazards: riverine flooding, coastal flooding, extreme heat, wildfire, drought and water scarcity, and earthquakes. It also examines how these hazards may change with climate impacts, and how they may affect natural and built environments, the economy, governance and health.