Three of the 14 people on Premier David Eby’s expert task force on wildfires, drought, heat, floods, and other emergencies, will be from the Kamloops-area.

Thompson-Nicola Regional District CAO Scott Hildebrand, Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir, and Adams Lake Indian Band Kukpi7 Lynn Kenoras-Duck will be joined by 11 other people tasked with providing “action-oriented recommendations” ahead of the 2024 wildfire season.

“A changing climate means people and communities around B.C. are feeling the effects of extreme weather emergencies like never before,” Eby said, in a statement.

“We’re taking action with a strong and proactive approach to emergency management, one that will be guided by an expert task force with representatives from First Nations, local government and more.”

The Province says the task force will identify lessons learned from the 2023 wildfire season – the worst on record in B.C. history – while looking to ways to improve preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery to better support people on the front lines of emergencies.

“Task force members will draw on their individual expertise, and will engage with front-line workers, First Nations, local governments and key industries, such as agriculture and tourism that experienced challenges during the 2023 wildfire season,” the Province said.

The task force will deliver its recommendations to government early next year.

Its creation follows calls from the Mayor of Barriere and the broader TNRD for a third-party review to determine what did or did not go well during this year’s wildfire season.

“Our focus is on supporting those on the front lines of a disaster and quickly applying the lessons we’ve learned to better prepare for future emergencies,” Eby said.

Members of the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies:

• Chief Corrina Leween, Cheslatta Carrier Nation
• Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir, Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc
• Kukpi7 Lynn Kenoras-Duck, Adams Lake Indian Band
• Wayne Schnitzler, executive director, First Nations Emergency Services Society
• Tanya Spooner, manager of emergency programs, City of Prince George
• Scott Hildebrand, chief administrative officer, Thompson Nicola Regional District
• Thom Porter, former director, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
• Dan Derby, regional fire chief, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary; president, Fire Chiefs Association of BC
• Shannon Salter, Office of the Premier
• Doug Caul, Office of the Premier
• Eamon O’Donoghue, Ministry of Forests
• Ian Meier, BC Wildfire Service, Ministry of Forests
• Teresa Dobmeier, Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness
• Madeline Maley, Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness

The task force will work within the scope of:

• enhancing BC Wildfire Predictive Services current technology, including the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies;
• planning for incorporation of local volunteer resources for wildfire response;
• improving integration of rural and municipal fire departments into the BC Wildfire Service response in the wildland urban interface;
• updating the Wildfire Emergency Response Strategy for B.C.;
• strengthening community participation in all disciplines of FireSmart;
• expanding opportunities in wildfire prevention programs;
• enhancing Evacuees Registration Assistance (ERA) tool to provide fully digital support for evacuees;
• modernizing community delivery of emergency support services, including post-wildfire support; and
• identifying opportunities to assist First Nations and local authorities improve evacuation orders and alerts awareness and compliance