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Sustainability Action Areas

Currently we have sustainability activities underway in the following areas: agricultural land and food security, community resiliency and well-being, emergency response and community preparedness, energy, health care, housing and multi-level seniors care, sustainable economics: community currency, transportation priorities and actions, and water. To see what each group is up to click on the individual topic.

EMERGENCY SERVICES & PREPARATION

January 29, 2010, meeting update

Immediate focus of the Emergency Response and Preparedness group is gaining understanding of the present system – tentatively identified as fire protection, first response, medical care, ambulance, police, helicopter, coast guard, ferry, Forest Service, GESS, RDN, PEP, HAMS, individuals, animals, and neighbourhoods. Topics of discussion at the Oct 24th forum include need for a second exit from the Phase IV area, importance of coordination between the various response agencies, need for an on-island communication network, and desirability of having local (as opposed to RDN) administration of the island's emergency plan. Contact Bob McKechnie - bobmck@shaw.ca or 247-8197.

October 24, 2009, Sustainable Gabriola Community Forum

The following is a summary of the discussion held at the October 24th Sustainable Gabriola Community Forum. There are many groups and individuals on the island contributing to this topic area and we would like to acknowledge that work. Please feel free to email us specific actions that have been accomplished and those that are underway and we will post them on the site. It is hoped that the following points from our October 24th discussion will build on the work that has been done.

October 27, 2009

CONVENOR:

Bob McKechnie

PARTICIPANTS:

Judith Graham, John Shields, Margaret Taylor, Muriel Wiens, Carly McMahon

Emerging Priorities

  1. Gaining understanding of existing emergency agencies and their action plans
  2. Determining needs of community
  3. Organizing to affect change if/as required

Long term objectives

  1. High quality emergency care in areas of fire protection, 1st response, ambulance, medical treatment, ferry, coast guard, helicopter, search & rescue, and Emergency Social Services. (Latter encourages individual & neighbourhood preparedness, and, during an emergency provides short-term food/accommodation, registration, personal disaster assistance, & rapid damage assessment.)
  2. Effective coordination between the various response agencies (eg - between first responders, ambulance, fire, and ETR physicians)
  3. Buildings and equipment to support emergency response: new fire hall, new Emergency Treatment Room (ETR)
  4. Improved on-island communications for use during a major emergency (eg- large earthquake)
  5. Public education
  • Increased individual preparedness (fire prevention¸1st aid, emergency supplies¸ etc)
  • Increased organization of neighbourhoods for emergency

What are the short and medium term actions needed to achieve the objectives?

A group needs to form to study the situation and recommend improvements.

How will we know we have been successful?

When there's agreement amongst participants and citizens alike that the overall plan is as good as it can get

What organizations and individuals need to be involved?

  • Fire department, ambulance, doctors, nurses,
  • Gabriola Health Care Society,
  • RCMP, GESS, coast guard, BC Ferries,
  • HAM radio operators, and
  • anyone with expertise/interest in emergency response

Related Discussion

  1. Large scale disaster: earthquake, forest fire, plane crash, ferry outage, power outage during cold weather¸ pandemic¸ tsunami¸ system failure (eg - grid)
  2. Wisdom of administering Gabriola's emergency plan from RDN questioned.
  3. Individual and neighbourhood preparedness are important
  4. Concern that Phase IV has only one egress. Extension of Spruce to Church an obvious remedy, but Ministry of Highways has been unresponsive to Fire District's requests for same. Complications - private property involved and some Phase IV residents don't want the connection made.