The Regional District of Central Okanagan's Emergency Support Services (ESS) team relies on volunteers whose aid is invaluable in responding to the 'people' needs in any emergency in our community. Through planning, training, mentorship and practice, our dedicated and compassionate ESS volunteers are at the ready to be deployed to provide short-term essential needs to those residents impacted in an emergency.
The ESS program plays an important role in responding to emergencies in the Central Okanagan by:
- Helping people to remain independent and self-sufficient
- Helping meet basic survival needs during a disaster
- Reuniting family members separated by a disaster
- Providing people with accurate, up to date information about the emergency
- Helping people re-establish themselves as quickly as possible after a disaster
- Helping a community work through the recovery process
What do ESS volunteers do? |
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The Regional District of Central Okanagan Emergency Support Services team relies on volunteers whose aid is invaluable in responding to the 'people' needs in any emergency in our community. Through planning, training, mentorship and practice, our dedicated and compassionate ESS volunteers are at the ready to be deployed to provide short-term essential needs to those residents impacted in an emergency. They also:
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Major tasks of the ESS team |
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Basic requirements to become an ESS volunteer |
TransportationAs emergencies can happen at any time of day or night, ESS volunteers must have their own transport so that they can attend where needed. Attendance at TrainingVolunteers must be willing to attend meetings and training in a variety of areas of service to insure that we can provide the necessary assistance to evacuees. Have a phone and preferably emailThis is needed so that the volunteer coordinator or ESS director can easily contact volunteers and update them on initiatives and training. Personal attributesESS Volunteers should be flexible, responsible, accountable and physically and emotional capable of handling the demands placed on them during emergencies. The Provincial Emergency Program, of which ESS is a part, uses an Incident Command process to communicate, allocate resources and make decisions. All volunteers need to be comfortable working under this structure which is critical to efficient operations during emergencies. MeetingsThe ESS Team meets monthly (September to June) on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. The meetings are held at the Kelowna Fire Hall #1, Enterprise Way. When an event occurs, our trained members take the lead in offering help to their communities. Training is offered online and in classroom settings. |
Training requirements for ESS volunteers |
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Within the first two years of joining ESS, all volunteers are expected to complete the following training:
Additional courses will be offered and will be open to all members. These include but are not limited to:
In addition to the ESS Training courses described above, ESS volunteers and staff may be able to access other courses offered through the Emergency Management Division (EMD) at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. As well as responding to the large events that have taken place in the past, ESS members respond to all events where individuals are forced from their home. Level 1 response is defined as one that involves fewer than ten evacuees and will be attended by members of our local ESS team. Team members willing to respond to Level 1 events must have taken:
And have attended a minimum of one event with an experienced member. |
Contact or apply to volunteer |
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Contact the ESS director
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Other useful links |