Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs)
Northern Health has Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) activated at various levels of the organization to coordinate and support the response to wildfire-related issues in regions of concern, including:
• Omineca/Lakes (Fort St. James, Fraser Lake & Burns Lake)
• Cariboo (west of Quesnel)
The NH EOC is supporting any system-wide response needs. We are working and sharing information with Emergency Social Services (ESS), the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), and Health Emergency Management BC (HEMBC), among others.
Response & Preparedness
Out of an abundance of caution, on August 16th Northern Health proactively moved patients and residents from Stuart Lake Hospital in Fort St. James, to NH facilities in Vanderhoof. This advance transfer of patients was done proactively, with the community of Fort St. James remaining on Evacuation Alert. Transferring patients with more complex needs in advance helps simplify the response to any potential change in status of the alert.
Stuart Lake Hospital remains open, with emergency department, lab and medical imaging services available.
Other areas of focus for response and preparedness efforts include:
• Support for reception centres receiving evacuees who need either primary care, nursing or mental health/substance use services
o Health care information for evacuees is available on the NH website
o Northern Health has a partnership with the Prince George Reception Centre (CN Centre) where we are on-call to support any emergent medical needs or concerns they may have
• Pre-planning for any potential evacuation of Northern Health facilities 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)
Staff Updates
NH Facilities Maintenance continues work to ensure sites are fully equipped with replacement filters to maintain fresh-air turnovers in facilities. Staff are encouraged to review Workplace Health & Safety’s fact sheet on Heat and Air Quality, for information on physical health and wellness during wildfire season and smoky skies bulletins.
There remains 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.
Site Information
Fort St. James/Vanderhoof
• In-patients and long-term care clients from Stuart Lake Hospital, and individuals from the community requiring Community Services support have been proactively transferred to facilities and services in Vanderhoof (St. John Hospital, Stuart Nechako Manor and Community Services)
• Stuart Lake Hospital remains open; emergency department, lab and medical imaging services will continue, unless the status of alerts or orders significantly changes
• No additional action from staff or physicians required at this time
Burns Lake/Fraser Lake
• Advance planning is in place for potential evacuation, including assessments of transportation and supply needs
• Staff, NPs, physicians on standby
• No additional action from staff or physicians required at this time
Quesnel
• Stable: An evacuation alert for the west side of the City of Quesnel has been rescinded
• Plans are in place for any potential evacuation, should the alert status change
Prince George
• NH is supporting the reception of evacuees from other communities with nursing and mental health supports at the CN Centre reception centre
• Plans are in place to manage evacuated facility based patients and clients should that become necessary.
• 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. Staff and the public can visit the Northern Health website for Wildfire information including air quality, food and drinking water safety. The First Nations Health Authority has also established a wildfire information portal on the FNHA website.
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.
For more information: