A fire at an apartment block in Coquitlam this spring highlighted the need for better regional emergency response.
And, because of the housing crunch, it also shined the light on the need for group lodging for evacuees in Metro Vancouver.
Last week, the city’s council-in-committee heard from Jim Ogloff, Coquitlam’s general manager of community safety and a former fire chief, about the city support provided to residents at 523 Gatensbury St.
On March 7, 2024, Century Place residents in the 97 suites were forced to flee after a blaze broke out in one of the five-storey apartment buildings in the Austin Heights neighbourhood.
The fire was one of the biggest in the city’s history with city staff and volunteers assisting the displaced residents, as mandated under the provincial government’s Emergency Support Services (ESS) program, for 72 hours to find temporary lodging and provide clothing, food, transportation and other incidentals.
While most Century Place residents were able to return home quickly, 100 people living in 24 units could not and were scattered to four communities.
As a result, Coquitlam’s ESS unit extended its response by 12 weeks for those displaced and still needing help.
Nicole Kimmitt, Coquitlam’s risk and emergency manager, said there were challenges to get short-term accommodation in Metro Vancouver for residents without insurance.
As well, the province’s Emergency and Disaster Management Act, which went into force last November, proved to be challenging as local governments now have more ESS responsibilities for mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
Currently, the city is undertaking an independent review of its ESS efforts for 523 Gatensbury Ave. with stakeholder input.
Coquitlam city manager Raul Allueva also said he plans to raise the topic of a coordinated regional response and group lodging for evacuees at Metro Vancovuer's next Regional Administration Advisory Committee.
Allueva expressed his disappointment with the Integrated Partnership for Regional Emergency Management (IPREM), which he claimed hasn’t worked well for Coquitlam “even during COVID,” he said at the July 8 committee meeting.
He suggested Coquitlam start with a sub-regional committee, designed for the Tri-Cities, to provide mutual aid agreements and assist evacuees.
“It’s something we need to be ready for,” he said, citing the recent apartment fire in Port Coquitlam that also displaced residents.
Coun. Craig Hodge said it’s especially crucial for Metro communities to come together as cities like Coquitlam, Port Moody and North Vancouver border forests to the north, and interface fires are a concern.
Fires, Allueva said “are become more challenging to each community and I think there’s common ground to have some kind of regional sharing of information and a mutual aid response mechanism.”
The Coquitlam Foundation continue to collect financial donations for the displaced residents at 523 Gatensbury St., Coquitlam.
