Emergency evacuation drill in Wilden & Magic Estates this weekend

Public Service Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

During wildfires and other emergencies, every second counts -- and being prepared to respond requires both education and practice. This is why the Kelowna Fire Department (KFD), along with emergency services partners across the region, will be partnering in a planned emergency evacuation drill in the neighbourhoods of Wilden and Magic Estates on Saturday – October 25th  from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Please note that this is a planned evacuation drill and is not real emergency. Unless you are a registered drill participant, no action will be required on your part. Wilden and Magic Estates residents have registered in advance to participate as volunteers in this emergency evacuation drill. In the case of a real emergency, the public would receive alerts through  CORDEmergency, and would find updates on the BC Wildfire Service website as well as local media outlets.

Why we are doing this:

This drill is the result of months of planning by the Kelowna Fire Department, the City’s Emergency Management Program, regional emergency agencies and researchers from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). The intent of this exercise is to:

* assist in community preparedness and evacuation procedures awareness

* test and improve community emergency response procedures

* provide data to support an NRC study

* Promote FireSmart practices among Kelowna residents and help reduce wildfire risk

What to expect during the drill:

* A larger presence of KFD and emergency services vehicles proceeding along marked evacuation routes within the neighbourhoods of Wilden and Magic Estates

* Although no road closures are planned as part of this event, you may notice an increased number of cars along evacuation routes as well as NRC researcher team members at the intersections of Glen Cara Way & Clifton Road and Upper Canyon Drive & Union Road.

* A visibly large gathering of event participants in the Prospera Place parking lot, the final muster station where drill participants will gather between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and noon.

Learn more about fire prevention and emergency preparedness at kelowna.ca/fire

For more information on emergency preparedness and what you can do to help prepare for wildfires and other emergencies, visit: kelowna.ca/fire

To subscribe for regular CORDEmergency SMS updates, visit: cordemergency.ca