Town of Gibsons is strengthening its emergency preparedness infrastructure with new communications tools, equipment and training programs, according to updates presented in the Q2 reports from both the Infrastructure and Corporate Administration departments.
A $40,000 grant from the Union of BC Municipalities is helping fund the upgrades, which include the installation of satellite phones, a video conferencing system and a new printer at the emergency operations centre (EOC).
Staff have also acquired overnight sleeping supplies, first aid kits and EOC vests to support extended emergency response operations.
“The EOC video conferencing system was purchased, installed, tested and staff training has been completed,” the report notes. The upgrades are part of a broader effort to ensure the town can maintain operations and communications during power outages or regional emergencies.
Next steps include staff-wide training on EOC fundamentals and the incident command system, as well as tabletop exercises to identify additional preparedness needs.
It is anticipated that these drills will create action plans to enhance the town's emergency response capacity.
To ensure connectivity if the town hall servers go down, the infrastructure report also recommends the installation of a backup generator at the EOC site and ongoing research into Starlink satellite internet.
According to the report, the improvements are part of a larger effort to reduce risk and increase resilience throughout Gibsons, which also includes emergency coordination with regional partners, infrastructure assessments and planning for climate adaptation.
Jordan Copp is Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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