The City of West Kelowna has sought out a familiar name in beginning to assemble a team to lead the post-McDougall Creek wildfire recovery effort.
Civic government consultant Ron Mattiussi, who was the Kelowna city manager during the 2003 Okanagan Mountain wildfire, has been approached to assist with the team heading up the West Kelowna recovery plan.
害羞草研究所淭hey have approached me but it害羞草研究所檚 way too early as nothing has been approved yet害羞草研究所ut West Kelowna has a good team in place and if there is a way I can help out that害羞草研究所檚 great,害羞草研究所� Mattiussi said.
Because of the 2003 wildfire, Mattiussi found himself immersed in the creation of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at that time, which in the two decades since has become the standard for dealing with consequences of interface fires causing property damage in B.C. communities.
害羞草研究所淚 was watching the fire from my patio (last Friday) and it triggers a lot of thoughts in your mind about what happened in 2003,害羞草研究所� he said.
害羞草研究所淚n 2003, I was involved with the 2003 EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) and did not have the view of the fire like many other people did害羞草研究所ut when I saw the fire last Friday I said to myself, 害羞草研究所榊ea, I know what this means.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
One of the differences he noted from 2003 was the speed in which the fire spread from West Kelowna, facing the reality that embers could jump Okanagan Lake and ignite fires in Kelowna and Lake Country.
害羞草研究所淭he Okanagan Mountain wildfire was a slow moving fire as we watched for a week as the wall of fire approached the city limits before it took off害羞草研究所he other aspect this time was how it involved multiple jurisdictions at once which placed a lot of added pressure on the EOC to support those multiple jurisdictions at the same time.害羞草研究所�
Mattiussi害羞草研究所檚 experience has led him to be recruited to assist with the post-recovery effort for the wildfire-damaged communities of Lytton, in the Fraser Canyon, and Fort McMurray, in Alberta.
He acknowledged one advantage he is able to bring to the table is an understanding the intricacies of how civic government works and can respond to wildfire situations, and also his first-hand experience with the emergency response management aspect.
Mattiussi looks back at 2003 and feels fortunate he was surrounded by a strong team of advisors, starting with Kelowna
Fire Chief Gerry Zimmermann, and the fire department having an emergency plan in place.
害羞草研究所淚 stepped into a situation where everyone knew what they were doing, but I remember when started to lose homes that first night, a forestry person pulled me aside and said you have to start thinking about recovery now, to pull together a team to come up with a plan and let the community know how you plan to deal with the recovery process,害羞草研究所� he said.
Mattiussi speaks positively of how the City of West Kelowna has responded to the impact of the McDougall Creek wildfire. 害羞草研究所淭hey are really on top of it,害羞草研究所� he said.
Mattiussi said while the city faces the reality of loss, he cautions affected residents to seek out support for their own mental well-being after going through such a traumatic experience.
害羞草研究所淲e don害羞草研究所檛 always understand ourselves about feeling the stress and trauma, even if it害羞草研究所檚 at a low level害羞草研究所eople may want to push that off and think they are okay but they are not always okay,害羞草研究所� he cautioned.
害羞草研究所淗omes will be rebuilt, neighbourhoods will be safe害羞草研究所he physical side of things will take care of themselves but the mental health side of this should not be ignored. Don害羞草研究所檛 under-estimate the stress and trauma you feel when experiencing an event like this.害羞草研究所�
READ MORE: 害羞草研究所楶ulling together in terrifying times害羞草研究所�: Trudeau visits wildfire impacted Okanagan
READ MORE: 130-hectare planned aerial ignition to take place at McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna
Like us on and follow us on .
