Reports to Council

Ty Helgason, the City’s Emergency Preparedness Manager, provided Council with an update on the City’s Preparedness Program, highlights from 2025, current initiatives, and the seasonal preparedness outlook for 2026. In 2025, the extreme heat response was activated five times during the summer, totalling 23 activation days, and the cold weather response plan was activated five times over the 2025/2026 winter season.

Emergency Preparedness staff remain focused on priority initiatives that strengthen readiness, coordination, and resilience as the City prepares for the 2026 hazard season. It was noted that Kamloops is uniquely positioned as staff prepare for the wildfire season, with the city located within a geo‑climatic zone that experiences higher wildfire risk compared to many other municipalities in the province. At the same time, Kamloops benefits from the presence of a BC Wildfire Service zone office, providing opportunities for coordinated response, access to significant ground and air resources, and ongoing joint training with Kamloops Fire Rescue.

The City will activate its heat alert response protocol when Environment and Climate Change Canada issues a heat warning. This response includes activating indoor and outdoor cooling options, promoting neighbour health checks, expanding community outreach, and sharing messaging aligned with the BC Heat Alert and Response System before, during, and after activations.

The Kamloops Emergency Preparedness team continues to advance work to strengthen early recovery planning during emergency response, applying best practices to the Emergency Operations Centre learned from other jurisdictions that have experienced large‑scale disasters and complex recoveries.

View the full memo.
View the presentation within the Council meeting slide deck.
Contact for further information:
Ty Helgason | [email protected]

View the full Council Highlights for this meeting