A portion of the Casa Loma community was the scene of a mock evacuation to test a new emergency route and the effectiveness of the community’s fire warden program.
“What we wanted to see how people would respond to driving it as well as the response to the evacuation notice,” said Community Emergency Liaison John Martin, who put the warden program together.
Martin said the exercise went well and the community and emergency services that took part learned a great deal.
“A lot of good things come out of it and there were some minor things that will have to be implemented to make it better.”
West Kelowna Fire Rescue, RCMP, Bylaw Services, Westbank First Nations Bylaw, city staff, Kelowna Fire Department and community fire wardens participated in the exercise.
“I think they were impressed with how we go about things, especially with the fire warden system, as well as information transfer to our community," Martin said.
It’s information, he added, that is vital in dealing with an emergency.
“Any information the general public is going to help calm the situation. The community responds well to it, but we have to have the transfer of information.”
Martin noted the program in Casa Loma can work in any community.
“The more people that get involved into some of the things we are doing in West Kelowna, the better other communities are going to be by taking up the initiative and formulating the same process that we do here.”
Casa Loma has 14 fire wardens who are responsible for 360 homes. They collect information such as cell phone numbers, emails, how many people are in each home, including anyone with mobility or cognitive issues, and potential hazards such as chemicals or stored fuel.
Once the community is under evacuation alert, residents would be informed immediately and an action plan put in place. That was the case in 2023 when Casa Loma was place on evacuation alert during the McDougall Creek wildfire.
A second emergency exit route has long been a safety concern for residents as Campbell Road was previously the only exit in the event of an evacuation.
The new route, which doubles as a multi-use path, is approximately 500 metres long and 3.5 metres wide.
It was approved by city council in September 2023 at a cost of $1.186 million.
