What the City is Doing Emergency Preparedness
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 Other Emergency-related sites from the City of Vancouver:    Emergency Social Services    &    Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program 
 

Emergency
Preparedness

Preparing Yourself

What the City is Doing

City Initiatives

Vancouver Emergency Plan

Other Emergency Sites

  

What is the City Doing?

City Initiatives

The City is preparing for emergencies, both in the short-term and the long-term. Please see the links below for the City initiatives.

The Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program is a series of workshops that will provide residents with information, training and skills to help them through an emergency.
Go to the Urban Search and Rescue Site

Vancouver's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team is an interdisciplinary team of 77 individuals who are trained to locate, rescue and give emergency medical attention to people in confined spaces or collapsed structures. The first team of its kind in Canada.

Go to the VECTOR site

The City of Vancouver’s initiative to involve amateur radio and other communications volunteers in the emergency program.

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Emergency Shelters

In the event of a disaster, the City plans to use its 23 community centres, and the land around them, to provide emergency shelter, clothing, food and basic medical care to disaster victims. Emergency Social Services (ESS) is a volunteer-supported program that would run these shelters. ESS is coordinated by the Office of Emergency Management, in conjunction with the Red Cross, Salvation Army, St. John Ambulance, and other organizations. The City currently has about 800 trained volunteers who would help staff these shelters. (Anyone interested in volunteering for the Emergency Social Services program should call (604.829.4373.)

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Seismic Upgrading of Bridges

The City owns and maintains 26 bridges throughout Vancouver. An $11 million project to seismically upgrade the City's older bridges has been completed. The First Avenue Viaduct, Granville Street Bridge, and first phase reinforcement of Burrard Bridge have all been completed. As a result, these bridges are more likely to withstand an earthquake.

Seismic Upgrading of Buildings

The City has completed a seismic review of City-owned buildings and established priorities for gradual upgrading or replacement. The City has also completed a review of 1,100 privately-owned, older, multi-occupancy buildings. This study will help the City to establish response priorities and also to set policies for long-term upgrading.

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Dedicated Fire Protection System (DFPS)

    

The DFPS is a $52 million project that will ensure adequate water for firefighting, especially after an earthquake, in the high-density areas of the downtown peninsula,Kitsilano, and Fairview Slopes. The DFPS comprises three saltwater pumping stations and a dedicated, earthquake-resistant pipeline.

The first pump station, at False Creek, was opened in September, 1995, the second opened in Coal Harbour in February 1997. The pipeline protecting the Downtown core and the Kitsilano/Fairview neighbourhoods was constructed over the following six years, with the last segment being completed in the summer of 2003.

Dedicated Fire Protection System (DFPS)

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Questions or comments? Contact: emergency.management@vancouver.ca or call 3-1-1 (within Vancouver) or 604.873.7000 (outside Vancouver).

Last modified: Tuesday, October 19, 2010
© 2009, City of Vancouver