Emergency support services

About Emergency Support Services

Emergency Support Services (ESS) basic services may be offered to evacuees for a short period of time like accommodation, food, clothing and other temporary supports to people who are evacuated during an emergency event. If you have home or tenant’s insurance, please contact your insurance provider about coverage for living expenses during evacuations.

If you have been evacuated and need ESS, register for Evacuation, Registration and Assistance (ERA) online at ess.gov.bc.ca. We encourage you to get the BC Services Card app, which is a digital ID for your mobile device and may help you receive faster service (e.g. direct deposits) when registering for ERA. If you need support setting up the app before you register for ESS call 1-888-356-2741.

The ESS team relies on volunteers. Through training, mentorship and practice, our dedicated and compassionate ESS volunteers are ready to provide short-term essential needs to those impacted in an emergency.

There are eligibility requirements for accessing ESS and the supports provided are determined by a case to case basis. Services may be available for an extended period and services may include:

Primary services include temporary lodging, food, clothing and incidentals (e.g. toiletries) .
Specialized services include emotional support, health services (e.g. first aid), pet care and transportation.

Updates to ESS

Learn more about the enhancements made this year to the Central Okanagan's ESS program and the efforts to provide support during an emergency.

ESS Modernization Project

The Province of B.C.'s Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) is updating its ESS program. Modernizing helps ensure people receive timely access to services in a disaster, and better supports ESS teams by:

Updating legislation, policies, processes and training, and
Creating the online Evacuee Registration and Assistance (ERA) tool

Subscribe to the ESS news page to stay informed on the progress being made to improve services during a response.

What do ESS volunteers do?

The Regional District's ESS team relies on volunteers. Their aid is invaluable for responding to the needs of people during an emergency. Services may include:

Making arrangements for temporary services to evacuees through pre-arranged community suppliers (e.g. restaurants, grocery and clothing stores, hotels, etc.)
Adapt pre-arranged facilities into reception centres for a muster point where evacuees can gather to receive information and assistance.
Adapt pre-arranged facilities into group lodging if the emergency requires lodging for a large number of evacuees.
Provide emergency preparedness education to the public and community organizations.
Meet monthly (between September to June) and take various training courses.

Major tasks of the ESS team

Recruit and train volunteers and staff.
Identify suitable facilities for use as reception centres and group lodging.
Establish links with key emergency responders and non-government disaster agencies.
Develop relationships with local businesses and organizations to supply goods and services during emergencies.

Basic requirements to become an ESS volunteer

Transportation

Emergencies can happen at any time, ESS volunteers must have their own transportation to attend where needed.

Training

Volunteers must be willing to attend meetings and training in a variety of areas ensure that we can provide the necessary assistance to evacuees.

Phone and email

Volunteer coordinators or ESS director must be able to easily contact volunteers for updates and training.

Personal attributes

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.

Meetings

The ESS Team meets monthly (September to June) on the third 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

Within the first two years of joining ESS, all volunteers are expected to complete the following training:

EMRG 1600 - Introduction to ESS
EMRG 1607 - Level One ESS
EMRG 1610 - Intro to Reception Centre
EMRG 1615 - Registration & Referrals
EMRG 1620 - ERA for Responders

Additional courses will be offered and will be open to all members. These include but are not limited to:

EMRG 1645 - Convergent Volunteer Management
EMRG 1612 - Intro to Group Lodging
EMRG 1624 - Resource Acquisition

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.