Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs)
Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) have been activated for:
- Northwest HSDA (Dease Lake and Terrace) EOC
- Northern Interior HSDA (Prince George and Burns Lake EOC)
The NH EOC has also been activated to support any system wide response. We are working and sharing information with Emergency Social Services (ESS), the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), and Health Emergency Management BC (HEMBC).
Preparedness
Our current focus has been on three areas:
- Readying to support reception centres receiving evacuees who need either primary care, nursing or mental health/substance use services so people with more complex health issues can continue to be managed in the community
- Pre-planning for potential evacuation of Northern Health facilities in Burns Lake, Fort St. James and Quesnel to ensure readiness in the event there is a need to move those in our care away from fire impacted areas
- Readying receiving communities for the reception of people requiring facility based care (i.e. hospital, long-term care or assisted living)
Staffing
At this time, there is no wildfire-related need for staff to be redeployed or volunteer on a large scale. Staff in communities under evacuation alert or order should review the FAQ for NH employees. Should this change, Northern Health Staffing Services will contact staff about assignments/additional duties required.
Staff are encouraged to review downtime procedures and other departmental response plans in the event NH network/services are disrupted by wildfire activity. This is also a timely reminder to review personal preparedness plans; The Emergency Info BC website has some very useful information on Wildfire Preparedness.
Smoky Skies
The latest Smoky Skies Bulletin from the Ministry of Environment includes health information such as tips for reducing exposure to wildfire smoke. For ongoing updates, NH staff can check (and share) this page, or follow @EnvReportBC on Twitter.
Site Information
Quesnel
- Enhanced planning is in place for potential evacuation
- Transportation and supply needs of our patients and clients are being assessed
- Multiple staff, Nurse Practitioners (NPs), physicians are on standby to support any people arriving in the community
- No additional action from staff or physicians required at this time
Prince George
- Enhanced planning is in place to support the reception of evacuees from other communities and to manage evacuated facility based patients and clients should that become necessary. Specifics include:
- Establishing primary care, nursing and mental health support for the City’s Reception Centre
- Planning how we would accommodate those currently requiring care in the following areas: acute, long-term care, and assisted living
- Managing the current over-capacity at UHNBC
- No additional action from staff or physicians required at this time
Burns Lake/Fraser Lake/Fort St James
- Enhanced planning is in place for potential evacuation
- Transportation and supply needs of our patients and clients are being assessed
- Staff, NPs, physicians on standby
- No additional action from staff or physicians required at this time
Vanderhoof
- Planning is occurring for the reception of evacuated facility based patients and clients should that become necessary
- Vanderhoof will act as a back-up for Prince George for reception of evacuated facility based patients and clients from Burns Lake and/or Fort St James (this will only occur if Quesnel was also requiring evacuation). Specifics include:
- How we would accommodate those currently requiring care in the following areas: acute, long-term care, and assisted living
- No additional action from staff or physicians required at this time
Updates and information
Wildfire season is expected to continue for several weeks in British Columbia. For more details about active wildfires and any related evacuations or orders, check the following resources:
- BC Wildfire Service - Fire Information
- Emergency Info BC – Interactive Map of Evacuation Alerts and Orders
This is an evolving situation and we will work to keep lines of communication as open as possible as we work to support those coming to us in need. Thank you for your continued dedication in providing care and services during these challenging circumstances. If you have questions or concerns, please talk to your manager or supervisor.