A line up of vehicles trying to evacuate on July 1, 2021. (Photo via John Cantelo)
The City of Kamloops says residents in Juniper Ridge will be able to drive on a pair of new evacuation routes during a guided tour this Saturday, July 29.
Emergency Preparedness Manager, Will Beatty, says the Juniper East and Coldwater Drive emergency routes will be open between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. that day.
The Juniper East exit connects Kicking Horse Drive to Valleyview Drive while the Coldwater Drive emergency route connects to High Canada Place in Rose Hill.
A third emergency exit – on Galore Drive that also connects to Rose Hill- will not be a part of this weekend’s drill, with work on another permanent route connecting Qu’Appelle Boulevard and Rose Hill Road expected to be finished by 2025.
“It’s an opportunity for residents to drive the routes so they can see where the routes begin and end and experience the different terrain and the road navigation in case they ever need to be on it,” Beatty said. “Vehicles will be led down the route by a pilot vehicle to limit speed and ensure driver safety. This will mimic the process that will be used in the event of an emergency.”
“Since there are limited time slots and each registered time slot will allow a maximum of 10 vehicles, residents are encouraged to carpool with neighbours to allow as many residents to experience the routes as possible.”
Beatty says only cars, SUVs, and trucks will be allowed on these self-driven tours, which will take approximately 5 to 15 minutes each to complete.
A map showing exists from the Juniper Ridge subdivision of Kamloops. (Photo via City of Kamloops)
In the event of an emergency, Beatty says there will be staff from the City of Kamloops and first responders stationed at various points along the emergency routes.
Highland Road, the only current permanent access route into Juniper Ridge, will also be used to evacuate people, if needed.
“In the event of an emergency, designated City staff and emergency responders will determine the safest evacuation route for residents, dependent on the emergency situation, and provide appropriate direction and traffic control to get residents out safely,” Beatty added.
“The emergency evacuation route to be used will be travelled in advance of allowing public access to ensure the route is in safe condition at the time of the event, that there are no trees or obstructions across the road, and that the route is not at risk of compromise from the current emergency before unlocking the gates and escorting public traffic along the route.”
Work on these new emergency exits began after the Canada Day fire in Juniper back in 2021. While it did not destroy any properties, a number of people who were trying to flee the flames were trapped in their vehicles on Highland Road due to a lack of available escape routes.
“We’ve learned that we need to open up the routes from the bottom up because we know there is going to be a backlog of people once that notice to evacuate and which route to evacuate on is given,” Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc told Radio NL last month.
“We would open the routes from the bottom, get up there and pre-position staff to be able to make sure that the right roads are going to be taken and nobody is going to take the wrong turn or access and then we would have vehicles that would escort the evacuees down the route.”
Uzeloc also told Radio NL there are plans for similar evacuation drills in other Kamloops neighbourhoods in the future.
“Juniper is one of the higher risk areas so we’re starting there,” he said.
People can register for one or both of the tours or familiarize themselves with the emergency evacuation route information and procedures online.
