CSRD and Shuswap fire

The Shuswap fire affected everyone in our community; some people lost their homes and businesses and others lost revenue. Every person was afflicted by the smoke, and some by fear and anxiety.

The fire started July 12, and because of over-bureaucratic multilevel mismanagement, miscommunication and ignorance we have all witnessed unprecedented levels of personal tragedy and natural disaster over the last couple of months.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District {CSRD} Emergency Operations Center {EOC} was activated to Level 1 on July 20, 2023 in response to the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire (K21620) which later merged with the Bush Creek East Wildfire (K21633). At the time, 79 members of the EOC including two directors and four finance members “worked” to coordinate tasks with BC Wildfire services, various government organizations and the public.

In 2021, the CSRD purchased a subscription-based Public Emergency Alerting service from a Calgary based company to notify the public about emergency alerts and other mass notifications, known as “Alertable.” Reports of CSRD EOC on the link bellow.

https://www.csrd.bc.ca/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1764

There were multiple errors and procedural mismanagement in the fighting of the North Shuswap fire, but two actions created much controversy: road blockages and the shutting down of bulk water stations and hydrants. Our team requested details from the CSRD on these issues.

Security members on the road blockages reported, that the CSRD ordered the blockages so we requested answers to the following questions:

1. Who gave the order to set up road blockages in Sorrento, Notch Hill and the North Shuswap area? The RCMP. When the CSRD issues an evacuation order in an area, the RCMP determines if it is necessary and where to set up road blocks for public safety.
2. Who created the conditions for the road blockages? The conditions for the road closures were created by the Wildfire.
3. Total cost of road blockages paid by the CSRD to contractors. Please provide all invoices. The CSRD did not set up the road blocks so there are no costs attributed to set up. However, the CSRD hired additional security under an approved expenditure authorization by which the funds will be recovered from the province. The total paid to the security contractor is not specific to the road blocks and includes other security details.

Contracted private security company VADIUM SECURITY INC. charged the CSRD a total of $73,481.63 for services provided up to August 31, 2023, included service in the road blockages. 

Shuswap residents reported, that on Saturday August 19, the CSRD shut down the bulk water station in Sorrento. Locals called the CSRD and were given various reasons; a power issue, mechanical trouble but also, that the station is within the evacuation order area and since everyone should leave water isn’t necessary.

Response from the CSRD:

1. Who decided to shut down the Sorrento water station on Saturday, August 19?

No one ordered a shutdown of the Sorrento water system nor the bulk water fill station. Power outages in the North Shuswap due to the Bush Creek East Wildfire affected the remote monitoring and control systems of the Sorrento water system. With the communication systems offline, the pumps did not trigger to refill the reservoir when it was drawn down.

North Shuswap residents complained about water hydrants shutting down during the fire, please see the response.

1. Who decided to shut down the water hydrants in the North Shuswap? No one ordered a shutdown of CSRD hydrants in the North Shuswap. Power outages in the area due to the Bush Creek East wildfire prevented reservoir pumps from refilling until power was restored. Other hydrant systems in the North Shuswap within CSRD fire service areas are routinely inspected by the CSRD but are not managed by the CSRD in terms of operation or control.

 On September 14 the Board of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) unanimously agreed to temporarily stop issuing building permits or conducting building inspections in fire-impacted areas of the Shuswap until the results of geotechnical assessments are complete.

Wildfires, especially those of the size and scale of the Bush Creek East Wildfire, change the soil, vegetation, watercourses and other natural features of the area. This can significantly increase the risk of landslides, flooding, rockfall and erosion.

October 5, the CSRD reported that geotechnical assessments are currently underway and this work includes the use drones in North Shuswap.

There are still a lot of questions as to who made the mistakes and what can be done better. It is necessary to independently investigate what really happened before the file can be closed. Nature will recover relatively quickly but the scares on souls will stay forever.

DB, CB