How the City Plans for and Responds to Emergencies

• Planning Ahead

  The City maintains emergency plans that guide staff in coordinating resources, communicating with the public, and working with emergency responders and partner agencies during emergencies. These plans are reviewed, updated, and tested regularly through training and exercises to help ensure we're ready when they're needed.

• Understanding Local Risks

  Kamloops faces a variety of potential hazards, including wildfires, flooding, extreme weather, hazardous materials incidents, and other emergencies. The City assesses these risks regularly to better understand where they are most likely to occur and how they could affect our community. This information helps guide emergency planning, mitigation projects, and preparedness efforts.

• Reducing Risk

  Where possible, the City works to reduce the impacts of emergencies before they happen. This includes projects, policies, and planning that strengthen community resilience, such as wildfire risk reduction initiatives, infrastructure improvements, public education, and partnerships with other agencies.

• Coordinating Emergency Response

  When an emergency exceeds the day-to-day capacity of City operations, the City may activate its Emergency Operations Centre. The Emergency Operations Centre brings together staff from across the organization to coordinate response efforts, support first responders, share public information, and work with provincial agencies and neighbouring communities. Staff across the organization are specifically trained to support an Emergency Operations Centre.

• Supporting Recovery

  Recovery begins as soon as it is safe to do so. The City works with government agencies, community organizations, and local partners to restore essential services, support residents affected by emergencies, and identify opportunities to strengthen community resilience for the future. Kamloops is a hub supporting evacuees from communities throughout the interior.